MSNBC Documentary on Terri Schiavo Falsely Claims Starving Her to Death Was 'Compassionate'

This article was originally published at LifeNews.com.

Earlier this month, MSNBC released a 90-minute documentary chronicling the case of Terri Schiavo. Sadly, it failed to capture the real human tragedy that was a woman being forcibly starved and dehydrated to death over 13 agonizing days. Further, it was quite unfortunate that the producers chose to frame this story of horrific abuse through a false lens of supposed “compassion” instead of portraying the real story of what transpired.

We recognize that condensing years, if not decades, of events into a 90-minute video is difficult. Still, the final product does not present even a fair portrayal of the brutality that Terri had to endure at the hands of Michael Schiavo and the Florida courts, which enabled his actions.

Perhaps more shocking than this editorial failure was the behavior of Judge George Greer, the jurist who presided over Terri’s guardianship case and interviewed for the documentary. Greer confirmed the long-held belief of the Schindler family that his conduct during proceedings was strongly biased against Terri and he approached the case with a predetermined mindset before hearing any actual evidence.

Although almost twenty years after the fact, there is not much that can be done about this revelation, and perhaps the public can take solace in the fact that the now-retired Judge Greer can no longer abuse a position of power.

Slick editing, clever voiceovers, and other trickery cannot take away from some key facts of this case:

• Michael Schiavo swore under oath that he would honor his wedding vows and dedicate his life to caring for Terri.
• Terri was as alive as anyone reading this statement.
• Terri was not sick with any disease that was expected to end her life anytime soon.
• Terri only needed food and water to remain alive.
• Judge Greer ordered that Terri’s food and water be removed, which included no comfort care, so she endured a horrible and excruciating death 13 days later.
• If Michael Schiavo had done to a family pet what he did to Terri, he would have been criminally charged.

Even though this documentary presents an inaccurate portrayal of the events that unfolded all those years ago, we still encourage those who may be interested in the case to watch it with a proper skeptical eye while remembering the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:40, “whatever you did for one of the least of these, . . . you did for me.”

The Terri Schiavo Life & Hope is a non-profit network that continues to assist parents and families fighting for the lives of their loved ones. As we think fondly of Terri, our prematurely departed daughter and sister on her birthday, the Schindler family continues to stand alongside and serve families in crisis across the nation and around the world.

Bobby Schindler, Terri’s brother, travels the country speaking to audiences and advocating for the medically vulnerable who are frequently not given a voice. All of this ministry work is made possible by donors and friends who contribute to protecting innocent lives.