mr. speaker , on december 3 , 1963 , theresa marie schindler was born in pennsylvania . 
at the time , i was pregnant with my first child and my beautiful daughter , danene , was born 5 days later on december 8. she is my best friend and today she , too , is a mom . 
i certainly can relate to mr. and mrs. schindler 's love for their daughter and their passionate fight to keep her alive . 
mothers have a precious bond with their daughters . 
the issues that we are discussing tonight are not because those who may speak on one side or the other are right or wrong or pro-life or pro-choice . 
the issue here is what terri would have wanted . 
it is not what we would want for ourselves or even our loved ones . 
we should not be second-guessing a patient 's wishes . 
that is not what we were elected to congress to do , nor do i believe that our forefathers would have ever wanted us to be involved . 
terri schiavo 's constitutional right to make the decision she felt comfortable with is being usurped by her parents and now this congress by means of this private bill . 
jay wolfson was appointed guardian ad litem for theresa marie schiavo . 
i know jay wolfson and often called upon him when i was a state senator chairing the health care committee , because i knew that he could always give me an impartial review of controversial matters relating to health care . 
jay wolfson 's report to governor bush and the sixth judicial circuit dated december 1 , 2003 , reviewed the court testimony and statements made by all family members . 
it is important to know that the schindler family members stated that even if theresa had told them of her intention to have artificial nutrition withdrawn , they would not do it . 
throughout this painful and difficult time , these same family members acknowledged that terri was in an irreversible , persistent vegetative state . 
today , i burned up the phone calling health care professionals that i know back in florida . 
these are people who make life-and-death decisions and realize that the 5-year-old video we see on tv of the eye blinking and apparent movements are an involuntary reflexive action known as part of the autonomic nervous system . 
almost everybody in the health care profession that i spoke to are avid pro-life people , but they know the sad facts . 
their comments were almost to a person , something to the effect of 15 years of being in a persistent vegetative state is far too long to suffer . 
to second guess the florida legislature , florida courts , and terri 's choice is just plain wrong . 
we should not be engaged in second guessing many neurologists and on-site health care profession always who have seen the patient , performed tests , and attested to the courts that terri is not going to recover . 
this is a very difficult decision that i know does not come easily for any member of this body . 
it is gut wrenching and reaches deep into our hearts . 
my daughter , who was born 5 days after terri schiavo , is a health care professional , who , when i asked if she would want me to battle to keep a feeding tube in if she had not signed a living will , said to me , and i want the members to bear in mind that she is a health care professional who deals day in and day out with patients with feeding tubes , but the difference is that they are not in a vegetative state , her response to me was sufficient to help me make up my mind . 
she said to me , no , mom . 
if you really loved me , you would want me to have rest and meet the lord . '' 