Bush's Living Will

The most shocking hypocrisy of all is that Bush calls for a culture of life in which we protect those whose lives depend on the mercy of others, while he and Laura have living wills that call for the cessation of sustenance in the exact same circumstances the Terri Schiavo was in.

The only newspaper that picked this up is the Sydney Morning Herald:

Laura Bush says she and the President, George Bush, have living wills that will guide medical decisions if either of them becomes incapacitated like Terri Schiavo, the severely brain-damaged Florida woman.

Mrs Bush said it was a "very, very difficult time" for Mrs Schiavo's family, but she was encouraged that many people had been spurred to create living wills.

"I hear the numbers of people inquiring about living wills or writing living wills increased dramatically, and I think that is really good," she said.

"The President and I have living wills, and of course our parents do, and they wanted us always to be aware of it. I think that is important for families to have an opportunity to talk about these issues."

A spokeswoman for Mrs Bush declined to say what directives are given in the Bush living wills. But many include "do not resuscitate" clauses in cases where the patient has no hope of recovery or requires extensive medical assistance to stay alive.