mr. speaker , when i came here tonight , i had no intention to speak on this issue for , frankly , the most personal of reasons : a year ago my brother and i were involved in making precisely this same kind of decision where my mother was concerned . 
we were fortunate . 
we had been empowered by her to make that decision , we were in agreement on the decision , and the medical professionals and her minister agreed with us about that decision . 
so we got to make that decision in the privacy and with the dignity that one would want for every family in that situation . 
as i listen to the debate tonight , i think the opponents of this measure have made many good and interesting points . 
they have talked about states ' rights , they have talked about precedent , they have discussed separation of powers , and they discussed the importance of the legislative process . 
all of those are important and legitimate points , and they merit discussion . 
but while we discuss them , a life is in the balance , and that is really the only immediate and compelling issue before us tonight . 
what do we know about that life and about the conditions of that life ? 
we know that the family disagrees about the condition , about the fate , and about the appropriate course of action where terri schiavo is concerned . 
we know that she is not on artificial life support , only receiving hydration and nutrition . 
we know that there is split medical testimony about her condition and her quality of life . 
we know that there are issues of conflict of interest and motivation about those making the final decision . 
and we know that if we do not act , terri schiavo will die . 
great questions often are raised by individual cases , inconvenient cases , cases that break precedent , cases that confront us when we prefer not to be confronted . 
mr. speaker , life and individual rights trump all else . 
where there is doubt , we should err , if err we do , on the side of protecting the rights of any individual , especially when it is the right to life . 
we should make sure that terri schiavo has her day in federal court . 
it is the right thing to do , it is the decent thing to do , it is the only thing to do . 
