mr. speaker , in response to the remarks a few minutes ago from the gentleman from massachusetts , i want to say that i am not sure whether or not i am on c-span , but i am absolutely sure that i am not playing doctor , for indeed i am one . 
mr. speaker , i want to thank my colleagues for returning to washington on palm sunday to take up this very important issue . 
as my colleagues know , we are here today in an attempt to safe the life of terry schiavo . 
i particularly want to thank the gentleman from illinois ( speaker hastert ) , the gentleman from texas ( mr. delay ) xz4001040 , the gentleman from wisconsin ( chairman sensenbrenner ) , and the gentleman from florida ( mr. weldon ) xz4004271 for their leadership on this issue . 
although congress can not heal terri , we do have the ability to save her from an inhumane death from forced starvation and dehydration . 
mr. speaker , since terri schiavo 's brain injury 15 years ago , she has been profoundly disabled . 
she is not , however , in a coma . 
she responds to the people around her ; she smiles and she can feel . 
terri is very much alive . 
mr. speaker , listen to the words spoken just one year ago by pope john paul ii to the international congress of catholic physicians on life-sustaining treatments and the vegetative state : `` a man , even if seriously ill or disabled in the exercise of his highest functions , is and always will be a man , and he will never become a vegetable or a man animal . 
even our brothers and sisters who find themselves in the clinical condition of a vegetative state retain their human dignity in all its fullness . 
the loving gaze of god the father continues to fall upon them , acknowledging them as his sons and daughters , especially in need of help. '' the tragedy of this situation is that with proper treatment , now denied , terri 's condition can improve . 
even though terri 's parents object to the removal of her feeding tube , the courts have rejected their pleas , and at this point it appears that all legal efforts to save her life have been exhausted , unless congress acts swiftly . 
mr. speaker , i believe we have a duty as members of congress to uphold a culture of life and compassion . 
terri has been incapable of making relevant decisions , particularly concerning her medical care , since she collapsed due to a potassium imbalance in 1990 at age 27 , just a few years after her marriage to michael schiavo . 
terri 's parents want her to live . 
the governor of florida , her state of residence , and many in the state legislature want her to live ; however , the florida court system has ruled the husband 's guardian rights should prevail . 
unfortunately , his wishes have set his wife on a course of dehydration , starvation , and death . 
it is important to note that terri never had the opportunity to plead her own case in court and she never executed an advanced directive or living will in writing . 
terri responds to verbal , auditory , and visual stimuli , normally breathes on her own and can move her limbs on command . 
as a result of her parent 's love , they have fought for years to prevent her court ordered death and have expressed their willingness to take care of her for the rest of her life . 
since the florida state court has issued an order prohibiting terri from even being given food or water by her mouth , once her tube is pulled she will not die from any disease , but from starvation and dehydration . 
florida law prohibits the starvation of dogs , yet will allow the starvation of terri schiavo . 
florida law does not allow for physician assisted suicide or euthanasia , nor does my compassionate god fearing state of georgia . 
although i am not a neurologist by specialty , my basic courses in medical school taught me that dehydration is a horrific process . 
it is a process that only the cruelest tyrants in history have used to `` cleanse '' populations . 
the patient 's skin cracks , their nose bleeds , they vomit as the stomach lining dries out , and they have pangs of hunger and thirst . 
starvation is a very painful death to which no one should be deliberately exposed . 
the tragedy of this situation is that with proper treatment , now denied , terri 's condition can improve . 
even though terri 's parents object to the removal of her feeding tube , the courts have rejected their pleas and , at this point , it appears that all legal efforts to save her life have been exhausted unless congress acts swiftly . 
mr. speaker , i believe we have a duty as members of congress to uphold a culture of life and compassion . 
it is important that we act today to save terri schiavo 's life and uphold the moral and legal obligation of our nation , indeed this poor woman 's constitutional right to life . 
in our nation of checks and balances , i believe it is time for congress to check the florida court 's decision and pass this life saving measure . 
i encourage bipartisan support of this legislation because we are here , at this `` 11th hour , '' quite literally , to save terri 's life . 
