What is Using Terri about?
Ultraconservatives and the religious right chose to make the Terri Schiavo case a national spectacle because they thought they could win. It became emblematic of their political plan of action at the time, which involved struggles over abortion, stem-cell research, physician-assisted suicide, gay rights, and the appointment of federal judges.
They lost. But there are more battles to come. Jon Eisenberg, one of the lead attorneys for Terri’s former husband Michael, exposes the Right’s strategy and reveals where we can expect to encounter future challenges to the American traditions of autonomy and diversity. The Right vs. the Right to Die gives us a behind-the-scenes look at what happened, what’s coming, and what you can do to take control over your own medical care.
Jon B. Eisenberg was one of the lead attorneys on Michael Schiavo’s side in the Terri Schiavo case. He previously participated in other right-to-die litigation as counsel for a nationwide group of bioethicists. He has argued before the California Supreme Court on a variety of subjects including mediation confidentiality, the right to die, and the ethical duties of “of counsel” attorneys. He is a partner in the law firm of Horvitz & Levy LLP.
“Eisenberg reveals a fascinating – and frightening – portrait of the people and institutions seeking to destroy personal autonomy in America today ... a much-needed wake-up call about the lasting impact of the Schiavo case and the coming battles that threaten to dismantle the U. S. Constitution. A terrific read by a first-rate legal mind.”
– Nadine Strossen, President, American Civil Liberties Union, and Professor of Law, New York Law School