It took me about a week to get through the first twenty five or so pages of David's book. I believe that it is anointed. It is so terribly unfortunate that Terri had to die in order to bring situations like hers to the forefront. I have to confess that I was not all that active in following Terri's story as it unfolded. I was a brand new activist then and I assumed that others more capable than I would handle it. And certainly Mr. Gibbs was eminently more qualified than I. That Terri was put to death was not a failure on David's fault, Barbara Weller, or yourselves. No one should be asking "Could I have done more?" or "Could I have handled something differently?" From David's book and from other sources, I know that you all fought a magnificent battle. But some valiant battles are not always won. For example, the Powell Doctrine says that we should not enter into a war unless 1) we can employ overwhelming force, and 2) we are reasonably sure we can win. I disagree. Sometimes a battle must be waged because it is the right thing to do, whether or not victory is assured.

The people who need to be asking the questions I posed above are people like me, people who should have been more involved; who should have been more informed, and who should have written letters and made phone calls to our legislators, newspapers and to Judge Greer. And so I ask you to forgive me and to forgive America, as I ask forgiveness on their behalf. Possibly you have already forgiven them, but I needed to ask for myself.

I'm not sure where you read my review, because it's on a number of websites, but if you have ever visited my own website, you'll see that I am concerned with values-based issues like gay marriage, hate-speech laws and abortion, etc. These have the capacity to effectively silence the church through the pro-gay hate-speech laws and the gradual elimination of influence from the Church. What does any of that have to do with Terri's story? In my estimation, lots. All involve the propagation of evil and the marginalization of God and His Laws. And as in Terri's case, it involves the cheapening of life in general. Evil will always be among us but it does not need to thrive in America. In my opinion, evil multiplies because of permission of the Church. And the Church did not speak up loudly or often enough, but Terri's family and David and his staff did. God bless you all for that.

And so Terri's story is part of a larger battle for the Christian soul of America. It is the struggle to keep God in American life. In that light, and in some sense despite your pain, I'm sure that you consider it a great honor to be the parents of such a precious soul who was so mightily used and is still being used by God, to fight for our founding values. In a way, you might say that Terri was a modern day Joan of Ark. She, along with those who fought with her, are inspiring a nation. I will never be the same. Terri's story is so powerful that you are forced to be either for euthanasia or against it. When people read David's polarizing book, there are no gray areas. When I say that Terri was used by God, I am not suggesting that He engineered the situation. Remember that the Bible is clear that "What Satan meant for evil, God used for good." That is certainly true in Terri's case. We can not always understand God's reasons for why things happen that seem so unfair, but then there are also times when it's hard to comprehend why He loves us and blesses us beyond our worth.

And remember that 1 Corinthians 2:9 says "As it is written: No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him." As much as you loved her, Terri is in God's loving hands now, having fulfilled her mission on this temporal earth.