He’s been rebuked by the Vatican, castigated by Congress and slandered on the Internet, but Michael Schiavo was welcomed as a hero Friday by a state organization whose members make end-of-life decisions for people unable to make them for themselves.
The Florida State Guardianship Association bestowed its Guardian of the Year Award on Schiavo for carrying out his wife’s wishes not to be kept alive artificially despite a drumbeat of withering criticism.
In a rare public appearance, Schiavo, 42, modestly accepted the award at the association’s 18th annual conference at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa west of Miami.
“As you know,” he said, “I’m not much of a speechmaker. I don’t talk much. But on behalf of my wife, Theresa, I thank you.”
Association members, most of whom are appointed by judges to represent people who have been declared incapacitated, acknowledged Schiavo was a controversial choice and they anticipate a backlash. After all, Gov. Jeb Bush joined world leaders from the president to the pope in aligning themselves with Bob and Mary Schindler, the Pinellas County couple who fought their son-in-law’s effort to remove the feeding tube that kept their severely brain-damaged daughter alive for 15 years.
But, group members said, Michael Schiavo’s unwavering commitment to honoring his wife’s wishes in the face of public scrutiny and enmity embodied the professionalism and compassion with which court-appointed guardians quietly carry out their duties every day.
