TALLAHASSEE - When Florida's state senators trudged uneasily into the upper legislative chamber this week to debate the hastily crafted Terri Schiavo bill, they found copies of a living will on each desk and a directive from frustrated Senate President Jim King to sign them.
The forms specify what, if any, measures should be taken to keep the signers alive in the event they're comatose and unable to express those desires. King, R-Jacksonville, helped craft the state's right-to-die laws years ago, and the living will was supposed to end the kind of legal tug-of-war in the Schiavo case.
The political slugfest this week convinced King too many Floridians have forgotten the earlier, three-year legislative battle over right-to-die issues, so he is ordering every Florida Senate district office statewide to hand out living wills free to anyone requesting them. Copies also are available on the Senate's Web site.
"The unfortunate events surrounding the case of Terri Schiavo brought to light the importance of being prepared for unforeseen health complications," King said. "While these type of decisions are never easy, it is better to be prepared in the event that we find ourselves in a similar situation."
Gov. Jeb Bush also is hoping the emotional battle persuades Floridians to explore their options ahead of time, noting he and his wife, Columba, have filled out the forms.
King said the unusual circumstances of the Schiavo case cleared the way for the Legislature and governor to step in, noting he still thought it set a dangerous precedent.
"We sat in this Senate chamber trying to determine what we could do without jeopardizing legislation that is nearest and dearest to me," King said of the death-with-dignity law he worked three years to pass after watching both his parents struggle with terminal cancer.
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