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 .  