Terri Schiavo lost another attempt to keep allive their dying brain dead daughter who they claim tried to say "I want to live" just minutes before her feeding tube was removed over a long, agonizing, week ago. However the Florida Supreme Court on Saturday, March, 26, rejected what Bob and Mary Schindler had earlier described as "one last appeal" before the body to reinsert her feeding tube.
"Terri is weakening. She’s down to her last hours. Something has to be done and has to be done quick." her father, Bobby Schindler Sr. told reporters after visiting his daughter at the Woodside Hospice in Pinellas Park, Florida.
"I told her that we’re still fighting for her, and she shouldn’t give up because we’re not. But I think the people who are anxious to see her die are getting their wish," he said.
The Schindlers had told the court filed their daughter tried to say "I want to live" when it was removed, The Associated Press (AP) news agency said. The motion claimed Terri Schiavo was asked to repeat that phrase and responded: "AHHHHH" and "WAAAAAAA."
"END STARVATION"
The latest ruling came also as a set-back for the parents attorney David Gibbs III who urged Pinellas Circuit Judge George Greer Saturday, March 26, to act quickly and end the starvation because otherwise he expected "Terri to step into eternity this Easter weekend," AP reported.
George Felos, the attorney for her husband Michael Schiavo who asked the tube to be removed, said the belief she can speak was "crossing the line" into an abuse of the legal system, AP said.
Her parents contend however that the 41-year old woman is "not in a persistent vegetative state," as a court ruled in the past. They say Terri Schiavo should be given the benefit of rehabilitation. But her husband argued this is unnecessary since he believes there is no chance for improvement or recovery. He also says his wife made it clear to him she does not want to be kept alive "artificially."
VARIOUS TESTIMONIES
The Schindlers have tried to remove Michael as Terri’s guardian saying the various testimonies he has given about Terri’s apparent wish to die are not trustworthy. ‘Pro-life’ critics also claim he has had "extra-marital relationships" since Terri’s collapse in 1990, and say the only reason why he didn’t divorce was because of her expected insurance money.
For the past decade he has lived with a woman, by whom he has fathered two children. "I’m just praying that something happens," her brother Bobby Schindler told Florida Baptist Witness newspaper on Good Friday outside the Woodside Hospice in Pinellas Park, Florida.
"It’s hard to even process that they’re starving her to death. But you can see it happening." he was quoted as saying about a court order to remove the feeding tube. "I can’t take it. It’s the saddest thing you can ever imagine. I can’t believe they are doing this. It’s almost like it’s not registering.", he added.
DISABLED PROTESTORS
Crowds supporting the family have became increasingly vocal about their wishes to restore Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube and reporters saw how they cheered when a single engine plane flew overheard towing a banner, "Gov. Rescue Terri Now." Protestors reportedly included disabled persons in wheelchairs and on crutches with one sign reading: "This is abuse of the disabled."
Christians were also seen praying and some shouted: "Give Terri water" and "save Terri now." Several people, including children, were arrested in recent days for attempting to bring her water and food.
There has also been growing pressure on Florda’s Governor Jeb Bush. A clearly weary Bush said this week that he has no intent to defy judicial rulings, despite the mounting criticism from conservatives, the Orlando Sentinel newspaper reported.
"LIMITED" POWERS
"I understand they’re acting on their heart," Bush was quoted as saying of those prodding him to act. "I fully appreciate their sentiments . . . but I cannot go beyond what my powers are, nor would I want to." Bush also conceded his hands are tied on other issues close to conservatives. "There are 90,000 abortions in this state every year, and that troubles me more than I can describe. But I don’t have some secret powers," he reportedly insisted.
In a desperate move condemned by Christians, some pro-life activists have threatened to kill her husband for supporting the feed tube removal. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said a man was arrested on charges of sending an e-mail threat offering a $250,000 bounty for Michael Schiavo’s death and $50,000 for that of a judge in the case.
If convicted, Meywes could face up to 15 years in prison and fines up to $500,000, federal prosecutors reportedly said. Others supporting what they call "Terri’s right to choose" shouted "she’s been dead for 15 years" and one sign read "let Terri Rest In Peace," news reports said.
TEST CASE
Don Wildmon, founder and chairman of the American Family Association stressed this month that the battle for Terri Schiavo’s future means more than the life of one woman.
"If Michael Schiavo and his supporters win their case and if the "right-to-die" proponents succeed in ending Terri’s life simply because — according to their standards — she does not enjoy a certain, prescribed "quality of life," then the frail, the elderly, and other vulnerable members of society — perhaps even children born with serious physical problems — could soon become endangered, " he said in a statement distributed by Agape Press news agency.
(With BosNewsLife News Center, various reports from the United States and BosNewsLife Research).
