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HERALD Staff Writer |
"If we can't stop the killing, at least we can stop some to the mayhem," said Virginia House Delegate Robert Marshall (R-13th District) on March 20, 1999, addressing the Arlington Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (ADCCW) conference at St. Bernadette Church in Springfield.
ADCCW, a lay organization, provides education and spiritual growth for diocesan women. A staunch pro-life and pro-family advocate, Marshall was speaking of stemming the "culture of death" tide in contemporary society.
Judie Brown, president of the American Life League in Stafford, was also a keynote speaker at the conference, Brown, a member of St. William of York Parish in Stafford, founded the American Life League in 1979. With over 300,000 member families, it is the largest grassroots, pro-life educational organization in the country.
Marshall, a member of All Saints Parish in Manassas, was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1991. Recently in the media spotlight because of his involvement in the Hugh Finn case, Marshall discussed the issues involved and their aftermath at the conference. Marshall maintained that many of the case's details have not been brought to light, except through the Catholic media.
Finn was physically debilitated in a 1995 automobile accident in Louisville, Ky., where he was a newscaster. Finn's wife, Michele, had her husband's feeding and hydration tube disconnected at the Manassas nursing care facility where he was a patient. He died eight days later in October 1998. Hugh's family members had previously asked Marshall to intervene to prevent his starvation death.
Marshall said he has since experienced a backlash from Michele and her legal advisers for hi pro-life stance. Saying he was compelled by his conscience to act as he did, Marshall has been threatened with personal and professional lawsuits from Michele, and said she stated that he would be targeted to prevent his reelection. Also, Hugh's "family has been slapped with almost $18,000 in fees on Michele's behalf," said Marshall.
"Virginia is the most liberal state in authorizing a guardian to pull food and water," said Marshall. "Kentucky law is much stricter than Virginia. Michele Finn couldn't do there what she did here."
Marshall said there is no state safeguard for a conflict of interest in certain cases, such as the guardian/spouse being the beneficiary in a life insurance policy. These situation, he said, point to larger pro-life issues: "medical insurance companies have the incentive to kill and life insurance companies have the incentive not to."
According to Marshall, important information in Finn's case has been ignored or overlooked. He said indications are that Hugh, was not medically examined properly or often enough, and that his head shunt may have been malfunctioning. Marshall said also that Michele has made a number of contradictory remarks during the course of events.
On Oct. 5, 1998, Marshall and Michele debated the issue on Good Morning America. In the interview, she stated that Hugh had been completely unable to communicate since his accident, but in Louisville news broadcast transcripts from April 1995, she said he had been communicating. Marshall said that information from medical personnel, family and other witnesses indicate that Hugh was not in a vegetative state, but was able to communicate by a gesturing system.
Michele is currently asking for $48,000 from the Virginia state legislature and an additional $48,000 from the court for her legal expenses in the case. Marshall pointed out that she is requesting state funds, but in an earlier article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on Nov. 23, 1998, she denied "asking the taxpayers to pay for my attorney fees." At the conference, Marshall said that he had received a breakdown of the requested funds, showing they were in part for "media consulting services and public relations."
Michele's request for the money was denied by the Virginia House Claims Committee, of which Marshall has been a member for eight years. However, he appeal has been added as an amendment to a budget bill introduced by Sen. Richard L. Saslaw (D-35th District).
At the conference, Marshall urged citizens to contact Virginia Governor James Gilmore and their state legislators to veto the tax money for Michele. Marshall can be e-mailed at: bob.marshall@trincomm.org. The governor's office can be contacted at 804/786-2211. Marshall asked that constituents leave their name, address and phone number, and request a response to their call.
Copyright ©1999 Arlington Catholic Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
This article was published in the Arlington
Catholic Herald,
200 N. Glebe Rd., Suite 607, Arlington, VA 22203; Vol 24, No 13,
dated Apr. 1, 1999, on page 10.
.
E-mail:
letters@catholicherald.com
Fax: 703/524-2782;
Editorial: 703/841-2590;
Advertising: 703/841-2594;
Circulation: 703/841-2565
A note from the Web Master:
It is noteworthy and honorable that some folks are willing to stand up for a ban on Partial-Birth Abortion. Let us not forget that ordinary everyday run of the mill abortion is also murder. We must understand that murder is murder no matter the method. Because one method of abortion seems to be horrible does not make the other methods less so. We should be horrified and sickened by any abortion regardless of the method. The Fifth Commandment spells it out clearly:
"Thou shalt not kill."
A fetus is a person, a human being with a God given soul. Imagine the pain the Lord must feel when any abortion occurs. Please contact both of your Senators and Representative, via letter or phone, to let them know how horrified you are that abortions are legal and to stop Partial-Birth abortions and all other abortions as soon as possible.
(It has become apparent that they do not respond to
email therefore you will have more of an impact by writing or telephoning.)
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