The case of Terri Schiavo was supposed to be a private matter among the brain-dead woman's loved ones, albeit a life-or-death one, with desired outcomes that varied wildly depending on one's religious views and understanding the science behind her condition.
Over a decade ago, when the whole thing was going down in Clearwater, then-governor and now presidential hopeful Jeb Bush sought to keep her alive; she was very young at the time of her collapse and hadn't written down her dying wishes or anything like that.
The argument in favor of keeping her alive aligned well with the "pro-life" movement.
He won the support of evangelicals, who typically don't do science until they have to go to the doctor after one too many gravy buckets. Many protested outside the facility where Schiavo was being held (probably because there as a Steak 'n Shake nearby).
This week, Bush's gazillion-dollar Right to Rise PAC released a 30-second spot touting Bush's conservative cred, including what a wonderful, "pro-life" advocate he has been. Briefly, video of Schiavo in her hospital bed flash onto the screen.
"He's a man of deep faith who fought time and again for right to life," says a voiceover.
The ad also touts his high standing among people who dig guns and his plans to fight ISIS and "protect" our borders. Basically, boilerplate right-wing stuff.
But the ad caught the eye of Schiavo's former husband, Michael, who said Bush put him "through hell" over his decision to allow the removal of her feeding tube after she'd already spent years in a vegetative state.
His response to the ad, according to the Tampa Bay Times:
"Using his disgraceful intervention in our family’s private trauma to advance his political career shows that he has learned nothing. 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 court's determination, made over 6 years of litigation, that doing so would be against her wishes," he said. "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."
