ROGER SIMON COLUMN
MARCH 28, 2005
WASHINGTON - - Congress hates to waste a good grovel.
When lawmakers crawl on their bellies, they expect a little appreciation in return.
Recently members of Congress rushed back to Washington during their spring vacation to adopt a law trying to "save" Terri Schiavo. Prominent Republicans like Senate Majority Leader Bill "I'd Rather Be Running for President" Frist naturally expected that his championing of Schiavo would be rewarded.
Even though Frist, a doctor, has never met or examined Schiavo, he said on the Senate floor that he questioned the diagnosis, made by doctors who had examined her, that Schiavo was in a persistent vegetative state.
"I question it," he said, "based on a review of the videotape footage which I spent an hour or so looking at."
Which is exactly how we want our doctors to behave when it comes to life and death decisions, right?
Following the assertion by Frist, who is a heart surgeon, the Washington Post wrote: "Some medical professionals questioned the appropriateness of Frist challenging court-approved doctors who have treated Schiavo. Laurie Zoloth, director of bioethics for the Center for Genetic Medicine at Northwestern University, said she was surprised to hear Frist weigh in, given that he has not examined Schiavo. 'It is extremely unusual -- and by a non-neurologist, I might add,' Zoloth said in an interview.
"Were Frist rendering an official medical judgment, she said, relying on an 'amateur video' could raise liability issues. After 15 years, 'there should be no confusion about the medical data, and that's what was so surprising to me about Dr. Frist disagreeing about her medical status,' Zoloth said."
But it was no surprise at all from a political point of view. Frist expected to be rewarded for his behavior by Christian conservatives who would appreciate his trying to save Schiavo.
Many other Republicans, including President Bush, felt the same way and many Democrats, terrified over anything that smacked of a "values" issue, cowered in a corner.
So imagine the surprise of those who voted for the Schiavo law, moving the case to a federal court, when polls revealed that the public was horrified: not with removing a feeding tube from Terri Schiavo, but horrified that Congress was interfering in this decision.
Liberals were horrified, conservatives were horrified, evangelical Christians were horrified.
What Congress forgot in its headlong rush to pander is that most Americans don't want Congress making personal, family decisions for them.
Most parents or spouses could easily feel two things about the Schiavo case: First, how agonizing it would be to make a decision whether to prolong the life of their child or spouse by artificial means if that person was in a persistent vegetative state with no hope of recovery.
Second, how outrageous it would be for Congress to pass a law taking that decision out of their hands.
Is there a parent anywhere, who would want to turn over a decision about their child to Bill Frist? Or House Majority Leader Tom Delay? Or George Bush?
Not only did numerous polls show large majorities of the public opposing Congress' interference, the polls showed that voters were turning against members of Congress who had pandered on the issues.
According to Poll Track: "Fifty-four percent of Time respondents said they were somewhat or more likely to vote against a member of Congress who had voted to move the case to the federal courts, while 21 percent said they would be more likely to vote for him or her. Sixty-five percent said Congress' intervention had more to do with politics than members' values and principles."
Imagine the consternation in Congress: The Schiavo law had turned out to be a grovel wasted.
But don't worry. Our lawmakers have a lot more grovels left in them.