Family history, belief in government's role led to Reichert's 'no' in Schiavo vote

WASHINGTON -- The memory from a town hall meeting held in Bellevue only hours earlier was still fresh in Rep. Dave Reichert's mind when he rushed back to Capitol Hill for a midnight vote that supporters said was needed to save Terri Schiavo's life.

The message from home was clear -- don't intervene. It's not Congress' place to interfere with a private family matter, the group told Reichert.

"It was a resounding, overwhelming no," Reichert said of the crowd's reaction when asked if Congress should get involved.

"It actually surprised me a bit," he said yesterday. "I was anticipating there would be a more even split."

That declaration, along with Reichert's family history, helped make the former King County sheriff one of only five Republicans to vote against a bill requiring the federal courts to consider Schiavo's case. The bill passed 203-58.

"Why are we, Congress, getting involved in this case?" he asked. "It didn't make sense to me."

Reichert said he couldn't reconcile his own and traditional Republican belief in smaller, less intrusive government with legislation that would do the opposite. "I saw that conflict and couldn't figure out how my party would resolve the conflict," he said.

He also drew on personal experience. Years ago, his brother-in-law was critically injured in a car accident. After three days the family decided to remove life support. Later, Reichert's grandmother suffered a stroke that left her in a condition similar to Schiavo's. Doctor's inserted a feeding tube to keep her alive, but after five days the family asked that it be removed in large part to conform to his grandmother's wishes.

"My fear was if I were in that situation today Congress would move in and tell me we hadn't considered this situation or the doctors hadn't considered that situation," Reichert said.

Reichert wasn't the only member of the Washington delegation to go against the grain on a vote that has become more controversial by the day. Rep. Brian Baird was one of only 47 Democrats to vote for the bill, and he was profoundly conflicted.

"I honestly do not know what to do," he said from the House floor. "But for anybody to try to imply that people on one side or the other do not care about this woman is not right or fair, on either side. This is an American tragedy but, more importantly, it is a personal tragedy. And people on both sides are pro life in the richness and complexity and difficulty of it."

He added: "Let no one who leaves this body somehow imply that whichever way the vote is taken, one side or the other does not respect life in its richness. We are all pro life. We all feel for this family. And also let no one believe that we are somehow saving this woman from a horrific fate whichever route we choose."

In the end, he voted for the bill.

Baird was the only Democrat from Washington to vote for the bill. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., a confidant of House Speaker Dennis Hastert, also voted for it. Democratic Reps. Norm Dicks and Jim McDermott voted against the bill.

Reps. Rick Larsen, Jay Inslee, Cathy McMorris and Adam Smith could not return to Washington in time for the hastily called vote, which came after most members left for a two-week Easter break.

P-I Washington correspondent Charles Pope can be reached at 202-263-6461 or charliepope@seattlepi.com