Letter to former Republican Congressman Charlie Dent by Bobby Schindler, President of Terri Schiavo Life and Hope Network - please see www.lifeandhope.com.

The following is a letter that was sent to former Republican Congressman, Charlie Dent from Bobby Schindler, Terri Schiavo's brother and President of the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network. It was sent in response to Mr. Dent's September 5th op-ed on the Texas heartbeat law, in which he incorrectly referred to Terri Schiavo as "brain dead" and he also compared efforts to get the Texas heartbeat legislation passed to a bill that was passed by Congress in the Schiavo case. LETTER TO FORMER REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN CHARLIE DENT Network_Logo_Final_AI-modified.jpg September 10, 2021 Mr. Charles Dent Senior Policy Advisor DLA Piper, LLP One Liberty Place 1650 Market Street, Suite 5000 Philadelphia, PA 19103-7300 500 Eighth Street, NW Washington, DC 20004 Charlie.Dent@dlapiper.com Dear Mr. Dent: I am writing in response to your CNN op-ed, “The GOP’s Texas-sized mistake on abortion”, in which you incorrectly contend that my sister Terri Schiavo was “brain dead.” Terri was an innocent, young, cognitively disabled woman, and it’s deplorable that you would make false claims about her medical condition to score cheap political points in the Texas abortion law debate. Your chief assertion that Terri was brain dead is medically inaccurate and gives the reader the false impression that Terri was in a condition not worthy of help and with no hope for recovery. Again, this is medically untrue, and I am respectfully asking for a correction. Brain death is an authentic medical diagnosis – not some “phrase” that is bandied about by the press and politicians who support killing those they deem unworthy of life. No physician ever diagnosed Terri as brain-dead. This not only includes every one of the neurologists who physically examined Terri, but also the Independent Medical Examiner, Dr. Thogmartin, who performed her autopsy. If you watch videos of Terri and see Terri’s unmistakable response to a verbal command, it becomes clear that describing her as brain dead is medically baseless. Terri experienced an acquired brain injury while home alone with her husband, and during her case, 40 medical professionals, including prominent U.S. neurologists, submitted affidavits stating that Terri could have benefited from rehabilitation, with some believing that she was in a “minimally conscious state.” They believed that she could have been treated by the therapy and diagnostics that were available to her at the time but were denied repeatedly by her then estranged husband. Additionally, you wrote that Terri was being “artificially prolonged with no hope of recovery.” Perhaps you are unaware that your comment “artificially prolonged” referred to simply food and water – basic care we all need to survive – administered by a feeding tube. In Terri’s case, she had difficulty swallowing due to her brain injury and she needed the help of a feeding tube. Many experts stated that had her husband allowed therapy, she would have likely been able to relearn to take nourishment by mouth. Every day, there are hundreds of thousands of individuals who, like Terri, need the help of a feeding tube, either for a temporary period, or more permanently, so they can continue receiving their food and water. In response to Terri’s death, our family established the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network to help protect those who face the real threat of their medical liberties being ignored, which in many cases can lead to a premature and preventable death. Since its inception, the Life & Hope Network has responded to requests from close to 4,000 families and has been directly involved in hundreds of cases, offering support, advocacy, guidance, and a network of professional resources, at no cost to families, to help their brain injured and medically vulnerable loved ones. One final note: You would lead your reader to believe that these two pieces of legislation are analogous, which they most certainly are not. Although you mentioned the involvement of Congress in Terri’s case, you seem to want to frame this as if the effort to help Terri was solely a Republican issue, since you make comparisons to the Texas heartbeat bill championed by Texas Republicans. I want to remind you that not only did Terri’s Law receive unanimous consent in the U.S. Senate, but it also received close to 45 percent support from House Democrats, and arguably was one of the most bipartisan bills passed during the Bush presidency. If you want to attack a political party for trying to save my sister from an inhumane, painful death by dehydration, then to be honest, you must include the many Democrats; but that does not serve your political purpose. You clearly disagreed with the actions of members of Congress, who were responding to Terri’s family’s pleas for help, but lying about my sister’s medical condition to bolster your anti-life position speaks to your character and integrity as it sets out to deliberately deceive the reader. Moreover, it is equally disgraceful to judge her issue based on your perception of human worth and political gain, rather than what is right or wrong. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Sincerely, Bobby Schindler President 2020 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, #367 Washington, DC 20006 LifeAndHope.com Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network · 2020 Pennsylvania Ave NW, PMB 367, Washington, DC 20006, United States