The husband of Terri Schiavo, a deceased woman whose prolonged life support via feeding tube caused a political uproar, says Jeb Bush's usage of footage of his wife in the candidate's ad is "disgusting.
Michael Schiavo is criticizing an ad aired in South Carolina funded by "Right to Rise," a political action committee that supports Mr. Bush. The ad features footage of the deceased, with the various repeated assertions, including that Jeb Bush has "fought time and again for the right to life."
"It is simply disgusting that Jeb Bush and his super Pac would exploit my wife's tragedy for his crude political gain," Schiavo said in a statement released by the Tampa Bay Tribune. "Shame on Jeb Bush."
"Using his disgraceful intervention in our family's private trauma to advance his political career shows that he has learned nothing," he continued. "He's proud of the fact that he used the machinery of government to keep a person alive through extraordinary artificial means -- contrary to the orders of the court that were based on the courts determination, made over 6 years of litigation, that doing so would be against her wishes. What the campaign video shows is that if he ever got his hands on the power of government again, he would do the same thing again, maybe next time to your family."
While in office, Jeb's brother, President George W. Bush fought to try to ensure health care workers would replace the feeding tube that was keeping the vegetative Terri Schiavo alive. Despite his prolonged efforts in 2005, the tube was eventually removed, largely due to overwhelming public support. Michael Schiavo, at the time, said his wife would not want to live in such a state.
The criticism comes at a crucial moment for Bush, who hopes to perform well in the upcoming Iowa Republican Caucus and New Hampshire primary.
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
