You may have heard the various accusations (sometimes implied, sometimes explicit) that Terri Schiavo's condition was caused by abuse suffered at the hands of Michael Schiavo. Is there any substance to these charges? Absolutely not - but that doesn't stop the faith-based "morality" crowd from repeating them.

Ed Brayton quotes the Guardian ad litem report:

As part of the first challenge to Michael's Guardianship, the court appointed John H. Pecarek as Guardian Ad Litem to determine if there had been any abuse by Michael Schiavo. His report, issued 1 March 1994, found no inappropriate actions and indicated that Michael had been very attentive to Theresa. After two more years of legal contention, the Schindlers action against Michael was dismissed with prejudice.

As Brayton points out, the charges were dismissed "with prejudice." This means that the claims of abuse by Michael Schiavo were so outlandish and so without basis that the Schindlers were also prohibited from bringing the same charges again in court in some other form.

So what do they do? They take their charges to the "court of public opinion." Because they couldn't find support in courts of law where evidence and arguments are taken seriously, they chose to make their accusations in the media where evidence and arguments are rarely, if ever, expected or asked for.

These, remember, are the people claiming to occupy the moral high ground. They are the ones seeking to take actions that their own daughter wouldn't have wanted because of their dedication to "morality."

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