Terri Schiavo
(December 3rd, 1963 — March 31st, 2005)
Tortured To Death!

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The Untold Story of Terri Schiavo (YouTube) | WMV

“Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one
of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” —Matthew 25:40

       I cannot think of anything more dehumanizing or wicked than to DELIBERATELY starve another human being to death. No civilized person could allow even an animal to suffer such a horrible death, let alone a human being. This is wicked! It's hard to imagine that a mass murderer like John Wayne Gacy was humanely executed by lethal injection... no starvation... no hunger... no thirst... no dehydration... no suffering (but Terri Schiavo suffered all of those horrible atrocities). This is so wrong! What has the medical, legal and political system come to in America? An EEG was never done on Terri, nor did she ever have an MRI. Why? Where did Terri get all those broken bones? How did her ribs, ankle, hip and spine get fractured? Why hasn't there been a criminal investigation? Terri's family pleaded for her life, offering to care for her at their own expense, in their own home. Judge Greer never met Terri, yet sentenced her to death. Why? 

America is a wicked nation! Terri may have been incapacitated, but she was indeed responsive (and her family wanted to take care of her). Terri's only crime was not being able to feed herself. You simply do NOT torture people to death! Terri was as much alive as you or I. She laughed, she cried, she loved. Terri had no health problems. If Terri had been a terrorist, a dog or a murderer, she would have been protected by laws against such horrible torture. It is not surprising in a cruel society that aborts it's own children a million times per year that life has become so meaningless... what's one more life, right? There is an agenda behind all of this, a culture of death, and you are next America! What has being done to Terri Schiavo is a clear barometer of America's spiritual condition. We are a murderous nation! Woe unto America! Terri's death will not be in vain.

~By David J. Stewart

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The Death of Terri (Schindler) Schiavo Must Not be in Vain...

The Murder Of Terri Schiavo!

Nurse: "Terri Can Eat Normally" | Nurse: "Michael tried to kill Terri" | Pro-Life Politics? (by Congressman Ron Paul)

Signs of Life -Terri and Mom
 

Terri Schiavo Autopsy Blatant Fraud

Infowars.com | June 16, 2005

This is totally political. The establishment is pro-euthanasia. Everyone with the most basic medical background knows that the brain shrinks massively when the body is dehydrated. It can shrink up to 40 percent in fatal dehydration cases. Anorexics can lose up to 25 percent of their brain mass just by not eating. Terri had also been denied food on and of for over a decade and for 13 days prior to her death.

The smirking coroner in his white lab coat relished his false statements, as he spewed venom on those who had dared question the almighty state. He and others have a big problem: scores of doctors have gone public saying that Terri was responsive.

The autopsy was inconclusive as to why her heart stopped, but they still say it showed no evidence of foul play.  That's an oxymoron - they say they don't know, but they do know.

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Sydney Morning Herald | June 17, 2005
By Mitch Stacy

An autopsy on Terri Schiavo, who was at the centre of a right-to-die battle, has backed her husband's contention that she was in a persistent vegetative state, finding that she had massive and irreversible brain damage and was blind.

The US Medical Examiner's office also said there was no evidence Mrs. Schiavo was strangled or otherwise abused. But what caused her collapse 15 years earlier remained a mystery.

Autopsy results on the 41-year-old were made public on Wednesday, more than two months after her death on March 31 ended a right-to-die battle between her husband and parents that engulfed the courts, Congress and the White House.

The Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner, Jon Thogmartin, said Mrs. Schiavo died from dehydration. She did not appear to have suffered a heart attack and there was no evidence she had been given harmful drugs.

Mr. Thogmartin also said the "vision centres of her brain were dead", and her brain was about half of its expected size when she died 13 days after the feeding tube's removal.

Michael Schiavo said his wife would never have wanted to be kept alive in what court-appointed doctors concluded was a persistent vegetative state with no hope of recovery.

Mrs. Schiavo's parents, however, doubted she had any such end-of-life wishes and disputed that she was in a vegetative state.

The Medical Examiner's conclusions countered a videotape released by the parents of Terri Schiavo in her hospice bed that showed her appearing to turn towards her mother's voice and smile, moaning and laughing. Doctors said her reactions were automatic responses and not signs of thought or consciousness, and therapy would not have helped.

About 40 judges in six courts were involved in the Schiavo case at one point or another. Six times, the US Supreme Court refused to intervene.

As Mrs. Schiavo's life ebbed away following the final removal of her feeding tube, Congress rushed through a bill to allow the federal courts to take up the case.  President George Bush signed it on March 21, but federal courts refused to step in. END

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Terri Schiavo Dies of Thirst
Florida woman survived 2 weeks after her feeding tube removed

WorldNetDaily | March 31, 2005

Terri Schiavo, the brain-injured Florida woman at the center of an intense euthanasia battle, died a few moments ago.

The news came after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected yet another appeal by her parents, Robert and Mary Schindler.

The Schindlers had pleaded with son-in-law Michael Schiavo to allow them to be with their daughter in her final hours, but according to initial reports, they were not present when she died.

The decision by the Supreme Court last night to not intervene was the sixth since 2000. The emergency request argued the federal courts did not consider whether there was enough "clear and convincing" evidence Schiavo expressed a wish to not live in her current condition. The trial court in Pinellas County determined she was in a persistent vegetative state.

Fr. Frank Pavone, a Catholic priest, told reporters at a news conference he was in Terri's room about 15 minutes before she died.

But Pavone said he was told to leave about 10 minutes before her death by order of Michael Schiavo, who was with Terri when she died.

"His heartless cruelty continues until this very last moment," Pavone said of Terri's estranged husband.

After Terri died, immediate family was allowed in the room, the priest said.

"This is not only a death with all the sadness it brings, this is a killing," Pavone said. "We not only grieve for Terri, we grieve that our nation would allow such a thing." Brother Paul O'Donnell, a spiritual adviser for the Schindlers, said the couple was with their daughter's body and praying.

Prior to Terri's death, O'Donnell said her parents and two siblings were "begging to be at her bedside ... but are being denied." END

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Terri Schiavo Dies

CNN | March 31, 2005

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Terri Schiavo, the 41-year-old brain-damaged woman who became the centerpiece of a national right-to-die battle, died Thursday morning, nearly two weeks after doctors removed the feeding tube that had sustained her for more than a decade.

Brother Paul O'Donnell, a spokesman for Bob and Mary Schindler, Schiavo's parents, said the couple was with their daughter's body and praying.

Wednesday, the Schindlers lost what their lawyer described as their "last meaningful legal appeal" in their desperate battle to have their brain-damaged daughter's feeding tube reinserted.

The U.S. Supreme Court late Wednesday refused once again to hear an emergency appeal from the Schindlers.

Their lawyer, David Gibbs, heard the high court had rejected the appeal during a news conference outside the Pinellas Park, Florida, hospice where Schiavo was receiving care.

"It appears that that will be the last meaningful legal appeal unless something comes up," Gibbs had said. "Fundamentally, the decision of the Florida courts will remain unchanged and the federal courts have declined to get involved."

Thursday morning, O' Donnell said that Schiavo was in her final hours of life, and police have prohibited her blood relatives from spending time with her.

O'Donnell, one of the family's spiritual advisers, said that her parents and siblings were "begging to be at her bedside...but are being denied."

Michael Schiavo was Terri's guardian and controlled who may visit her and when.

Pasco-Pinellas Circuit Judge George Greer in Clearwater, Florida, ordered the feeding tube removed March 18 at Michael Schiavo's request. He has said that his wife wouldn't have wanted to live in her condition -- what Florida courts have deemed a "persistent vegetative state."

The parents felt otherwise and had sought to take guardianship of their daughter from her husband. Their bitter court battles began in 1998.

"I don't understand why Michael Schiavo at some point didn't walk away," Gibbs said.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, who has jurisdiction over Florida, Georgia and Alabama, and could have ruled on the petition on his own, referred the appeal to the entire Supreme Court at 10:40 p.m. Wednesday.

There was no breakdown of the vote, and the high court issued no explanation for its decision. The petition had been filed earlier in the night.

It was the second time in a week the high court refused to hear the case, and the sixth time since 2001.

The Schindlers "can know they have done everything possible under the law in letting government know that they wanted to fight for the life of their daughter," Gibbs said.

In his Supreme Court filing, Gibbs and other lawyers for the parents wrote that removing the tube represented "an unconstitutional deprivation of Terri Schiavo's constitutional right to life."

The Supreme Court's rejection came hours after the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Georgia, rejected the parents' petition 9-2. That court denied three similar requests from the parents last week.

In a concurring opinion of the Atlanta court's latest ruling, Judge Stanley Birch said Congress "chose to overstep constitutional boundaries" by passing a law to force the Schiavo case into federal courts.

Judges Gerald Tjoflat and Charles Wilson dissented, with Tjoflat writing that the Schindlers deserved a hearing on the merits of their argument.

On March 21, three days after Schiavo's feeding tube was removed, Congress passed a bill transferring jurisdiction of the case from Florida state court to a U.S. District Court, for a federal judge to review. President Bush signed it into law the next day. But federal courts refused to overturn the state courts' decision.

2002 videotapes released

The Pinellas County Probate Court has released nine of 11 videotapes of Terri Schiavo recorded in the summer of 2002 and shown in a Florida appeals court hearing on her medical condition.

The videos show several doctors talking to and examining Schiavo to get ready for their court testimony. The tapes were recorded from July to September 2002.

Family members, including her mother and husband, also appear in the video.

Two of the 11 tapes remain sealed by the court, but it was unclear why.

In October 2002, Florida's 2nd District Court of Appeal heard a week of testimony from five doctors who examined her, including two picked by Michael Schiavo, two by her parents and one picked by the court.

Three doctors, including one appointed by the court, testified that Terri Schiavo was in a persistent vegetative state with no hope of recovery. The two doctors selected by the Schindlers testified they thought she could recover.

The appellate court concurred with a lower court decision that Schiavo had no hope of recovery and that her feeding tube could be removed.

Terri Schiavo collapsed in her home in 1990, suffering from heart failure that led to severe brain damage because of lack of oxygen.

Her husband has said she suffered from bulimia, an eating disorder, that resulted in a potassium deficiency that triggered the heart failure.

END

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Question: If Terri Can't Feel Pain Why Did They Give Her Morphine?

Prison Planet | March 31, 2005

AP Snip : "Carpenter also disagrees with the characterization that Schiavo is in a persistent vegetative state. He says the doctors who've said that are "known pro-euthanasia doctors." And he questions why Schiavo has been given morphine -- since people in that vegetative state can't feel pain."

If Terri is a vegetable and vegetables can't feel pain then why are they injecting morphine into a vegetable?

This evening, The O'Reilly Factor featured another doctor who assured us starvation (a war crime banned by the Geneva convention) was perfectly peaceful. O'Reilly, who favors killing Terri, didn't challenge the statement that she was in a vegetative state despite volumes of evidence to the contrary.

FLASHBACK: Nazis Used Starvation to Kill

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Appeals Court Invites Additional Schiavo Review

Associated Press | March 30, 2005

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. - In a rare legal victory for Terri Schiavo's parents, a federal appeals court agreed to consider their request for a new hearing on whether to reconnect their severely brain-damaged daughter's feeding tube.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta issued a written ruling without comment late Tuesday granting the emergency motion, but did not indicate when it would consider rehearing the case. Last week, the same court twice ruled against Schiavo's parents, who are trying to keep their daughter alive.

Time was running out for Schiavo, however. Bob Schindler described his daughter as "failing" on Tuesday, her 12th day without nourishment.

"She still looks pretty darn good under the circumstances," Schindler said. "You can see the impact of no food and water for 12 days. Her bodily functions are still working. We still have her."

Doctors have said Schiavo, 41, would probably die within a week or two of the tube being removed.

The request for a new hearing also asks to have the tube reinserted immediately "in light of the magnitude of what is at stake and the urgency of the action required."

Vigil continues
Tuesday's decision was a ray of hope for the Schindlers, who have lost a string of court battles over their daughter's fate. The case has wound its way through six courts for seven years; the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene five times.

Protesters keeping a 24-hour vigil outside the hospice praised the latest order.

"There's a chance for a miracle," said Christine Marriott, 43, who rushed to the hospice after hearing the news on TV. "Anything positive is a breath of life."

Terri Schiavo's feeding tube was removed March 18 on a court order sought by her husband, Michael, who contends she wouldn't want to be kept alive artificially. She suffered catastrophic brain damage in 1990 when her heart stopped for several minutes because of a chemical imbalance apparently brought on by an eating disorder.

But the Schindlers have maintained that their daughter would want to be kept alive. On Tuesday, they asked the appeals court to consider their request for a new hearing based on the seven-year history of evidence in the case, rather than whether previous Florida court rulings have met legal standards under state law.

The request contends that the federal court in Tampa had "committed plain error when it reviewed only the state court case and outcome history."

Attorneys for the Schindlers have argued that Terri Schiavo's rights to life and privacy were being violated.

Attorneys for the Schindlers and Michael Schiavo didn't immediately return phone messages early Wednesday.

"I think the courts want to be sure that there's no accusation that any legal argument was ignored," said attorney Neal Sonnett, former chairman of the American Bar Association's criminal justice section.

Federal courts were given jurisdiction to review Schiavo's case after Republicans in Congress pushed through unprecedented emergency legislation aimed at prolonging Schiavo's life. But federal courts at two have levels rebuffed the family.

On Tuesday, Mary Schindler made a terse but emotional appeal to Michael Schiavo: "Michael and Jodi, you have your own children. Please, please give my child back to me." Michael Schiavo and fiancée Jodi Centonze have two children, born long after Terri Schiavo's collapse.

Although supporters of the Schindlers have claimed the dehydrated woman is being denied comforts such as ice chips for her dry mouth or balm for chapped lips, George Felos, the husband's attorney, defended how Schiavo is being cared for.

"Obviously, the parents and the siblings are desperate. Desperation may lead to different perceptions," Felos told CNN. "I can only tell you what I've seen, and Terri is dying a very peaceful, cared-for death."

Jesse Jackson, Laura Bush weigh in
The Rev. Jesse Jackson prayed with the Schindlers on Tuesday and joined conservatives in calling for state lawmakers to order her feeding tube reinserted.

The former Democratic presidential candidate was invited by Schiavo's parents to meet with activists outside Schiavo's hospice. His arrival was greeted by some applause and cries of "This is about civil rights!"

"I feel so passionate about this injustice being done, how unnecessary it is to deny her a feeding tube, water, not even ice to be used for her parched lips," he said. "This is a moral issue and it transcends politics and family disputes."

First lady Laura Bush also commented on the case Tuesday, saying the government was right to have intervened on behalf of Schiavo.

"It is a life issue that really does require government to be involved," Bush said aboard a plane bound for Afghanistan, where she was to promote education and women's rights.

During Jackson's visit, a man was tackled to the ground by officers when he tried to storm into the hospice, police said. He became the 47th protester arrested since the feeding tube was removed. The man had two bottles of water with him but did not reach the hospice door, police said.

On Tuesday, the Schindlers had lost a round in the courts when an appeals court upheld a previous ruling by Pinellas Circuit Judge George Greer that blocked the Department of Children and Families from intervening in the case. END

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Court to Weigh Schiavo Emergency Motion

Associated Press | March 30, 2005
By RON WORD

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. (AP) - A federal appeals court agreed to consider an emergency bid by Terri Schiavo's parents for a new hearing on whether to reconnect her feeding tube, raising their fading hopes of keeping the severely brain-damaged woman alive.

In its order late Tuesday, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals didn't say when it would decide whether to grant the hearing. It was not clear what effect reconnecting Terri Schiavo's feeding tube would have on her, as she approached her 13th day without nourishment.

The order issued allowed Bob and Mary Schindler to file the appeal, even though the court had set a March 26 deadline for doing so.

Its one-sentence order said: "The Appellant's emergency motion for leave to file out of time is granted." Twice last week, the court ruled against the Schindlers.

In requesting a new hearing, the Schindlers argued that a federal judge in Tampa should have considered the entire state court record and not whether previous Florida court rulings met legal standards under state law. It also stated that the Atlanta federal appellate court didn't consider whether there was enough "clear and convincing" evidence that Terri Schiavo would have chosen to die in her current condition.

Attorneys for the Schindlers didn't immediately return phone messages Wednesday. George Felos, Michael Schiavo's attorney, declined comment.

Time was running out for Schiavo, however. Bob Schindler described his daughter on Tuesday as "failing."

"She still looks pretty darn good under the circumstances," Schindler said. "You can see the impact of no food and water for 12 days. Her bodily functions are still working. We still have her."

Doctors have said Schiavo, 41, would probably die within two weeks after the tube was removed March 18. Her husband, Michael Schiavo, insists he is carrying out her wishes by having the feeding tube pulled.

The request for a new hearing also asks to have the tube reinserted immediately "in light of the magnitude of what is at stake and the urgency of the action required."

The order was a ray of hope for the Schindlers, who are battling their son-in-law over their daughter's fate. The case has wound its way through six courts for seven years; the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene five times.

Protesters keeping a 24-hour vigil outside the hospice praised the latest decision.

"There's a chance for a miracle," said Christine Marriott, 43, who rushed to the hospice after hearing the news on TV. "Anything positive is a breath of life."

Early Wednesday, a man was arrested when he tried to bring a plastic cup of water into the hospice. Officers stopped him at the gate as he shouted: "You don't know God from Godzilla!"

He became the 48th protester arrested since the tube was removed on a court order sought by her husband. Terri Schiavo suffered catastrophic brain damage in 1990 when her heart stopped for several minutes because of a chemical imbalance apparently brought on by an eating disorder.

The Schindlers have maintained that their daughter would want to be kept alive.

Their attorneys raised the issue of the new request after a Saturday deadline set by the court, saying they have had more time to research the issues and have become convinced that the federal court in Tampa had "committed plain error when it reviewed only the state court case and outcome history."

Attorneys for the Schindlers have argued that Terri Schiavo's rights to life and privacy were being violated.

"I think the courts want to be sure that there's no accusation that any legal argument was ignored," said attorney Neal Sonnett, former chairman of the American Bar Association's criminal justice section.

Federal courts were given jurisdiction to review Schiavo's case after Republicans in Congress pushed through unprecedented emergency legislation aimed at prolonging her life. But federal courts at three levels have rebuffed her parents.

On Tuesday, her mother, Mary Schindler, made a terse but emotional appeal to Michael Schiavo: "Michael and Jodi, you have your own children. Please, please give my child back to me." Michael Schiavo and fiancee Jodi Centonze have two children, born long after Terri Schiavo's collapse.

Although supporters of the Schindlers have claimed the dehydrated woman is being denied comforts such as ice chips for her dry mouth or balm for chapped lips, Felos defended how Schiavo is being cared for.

"Obviously, the parents and the siblings are desperate. Desperation may lead to different perceptions," Felos told CNN. "I can only tell you what I've seen, and Terri is dying a very peaceful, cared-for death."

The Rev. Jesse Jackson prayed with the Schindlers on Tuesday and joined conservatives in calling for state lawmakers to order her feeding tube reinserted.

The former Democratic presidential candidate was invited by Schiavo's parents to meet with activists outside Schiavo's hospice. His arrival was greeted by some applause and cries of "This is about civil rights!"

"I feel so passionate about this injustice being done, how unnecessary it is to deny her a feeding tube, water, not even ice to be used for her parched lips," he said. "This is a moral issue and it transcends politics and family disputes."

First lady Laura Bush also commented on the case Tuesday, saying the government was right to have intervened on behalf of Schiavo.

"It is a life issue that really does require government to be involved," Bush said aboard a plane bound for Afghanistan, where she was promoting education and women's rights. END

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Terri's brother: Felos in love with death
Strange passages from attorney's book raise questions about Terri's case

World Net Daily | March 29, 2005

"I think Mr. Felos has some infatuation with death."

That's what Bobby Schindler, brother of Terri's Schiavo, now in her 12th day of court-ordered starvation, said on Fox News' "Hannity and Colmes" last night.

He was commenting on claims made by attorney George Felos, long-time counsel of Terri's estranged husband Michael Schiavo, that Terri looked "beautiful" as she lay dying.

While virtually all other eyewitnesses described the dying brain-injured woman as "gaunt," "drawn," "struggling" and "fighting like hell" for life, Felos described Terri as "beautiful" and "peaceful" to reporters during a Saturday press conference:

"She is calm, she is peaceful, she is resting comfortably. ... Her lips are not chapped, they're not bleeding. Her skin's not peeling. Frankly when I saw her ... she looked beautiful. In all the years I've seen Mrs. Schiavo, I've never seen such a look of peace and beauty upon her."

Following the controversial press conference, TV pundits debated the propriety of Felos's remarks and his unusual characterization of a person starving to death as emanating "beauty."

One explanation for Felos' comments is suggested in the attorney's own 2002 book, "Litigation As Spiritual Practice." In one passage, Felos, a longtime volunteer hospice worker, says he promised one patient he would "do everything in my power" to bring her life to an end.

The patient was Estelle Browning, focal point of a landmark "right-to-die" case. Browning, profoundly debilitated by a stroke, had been confined to a nursing home for over a year and a half when Mrs. Herbert, her cousin and caregiver, sought to have Browning's feeding tube removed, in accordance with her living will. Felos took the case.

Recalling his first encounter with Browning, Felos writes: "'Mrs. Browning, do you want to die? ... Do you want to die?' – I near shouted as I continued to peer into her pools of strikingly beautiful but incognizant blue. It was so eerie. Her eyes were wide open and crystal clear, but instead of the warmth of lucidity, they burned with the ice of expressionlessness."

In Chapter 8, titled "Soul-Speak," Felos describes a psychic communication between him and the "vegetative" Browning, during which he promised to "help" her leave this earthly life. The narrative describes a strange, spiritual experience of some sort:

As I continued to stay beside Mrs. Browning at her nursing home bed, I felt my mind relax and my weight sink into the ground. I began to feel light-headed as I became more reposed. Although feeling like I could drift into sleep, I also experienced a sense of heightened awareness. As Mrs. Browning lay motionless before my gaze, I suddenly heard a loud, deep moan and scream and wondered if the nursing home personnel heard it and would respond to the unfortunate resident. In the next moment, as this cry of pain and torment continued, I realized it was Mrs. Browning.
I felt the mid-section of my body open and noticed a strange quality to the light in the room. I sensed her soul in agony. As she screamed I heard her say, in confusion, 'Why am I still here … why am I here?' My soul touched hers and in some way I communicated that she was still locked in her body. I promised I would do everything in my power to gain the release her soul cried for. With that the screaming immediately stopped. I felt like I was back in my head again, the room resumed its normal appearance, and Mrs. Browning, as she had throughout this experience, lay silent.

I knew without a doubt what had transpired was real and dispelled the thought as intellect’s attempt to assert its own version of reality.

Despite saturation press coverage of the Terri Schiavo case, Felos's New Age spirituality has not emerged as an issue. However, as Richard Land, head of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission said to the St. Petersburg Times, the Terri Schiavo case represents a "clash of two very disparate civilizations – the Judeo-Christian civilization, which is based upon the sanctity of human life, and the neopagan, relativist, quality-of-life civilization."

Adds James A. Smith Sr., executive editor of the Florida Baptist Witness: "Both worldviews are in play in the Schiavo debate and it's long past time for the public to understand this." END

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Cremation and No Autopsy Planned for Terri Schiavo
Its Obvious Michael is Hiding Something

NewsMax | March 28, 2005  

Michael Schiavo has taken steps that will prevent investigators from examining Terri Schiavo's body for evidence of abuse after she dies – a suspicion her family has repeatedly raised as her death grows more imminent.

Schiavo's attorney George Felos told the Washington Post on Friday that Terri will be cremated and buried in a plot owned by Michael's family in Pennsylvania.

Terri's parents had filed a request with the court to block the cremation plans, saying it would violate the religious beliefs of their daughter, who was a practicing a Catholic.

But as with every other motion filed in the case on behalf of Bob and Mary Schindler, the Florida courts have rejected the request.

A 1991 bone scan performed on Terri Schiavo showed unexplained injuries to her vertebrae and legs.

Terri's brother, Bobby Schindler, told Fox News Channel's "Hannity and Colmes" on Thursday that a doctor has testified that she might have been strangled before she was found unconscious in her home in February 1990. END

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'Death is imminent' for Terri Schiavo
Schiavo Receives Last Rites, Communion

Associated Press | March 28, 2005
By MARK LONG

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. - Terri Schiavo was given last rites and Easter communion - a drop of wine, but no bread - as protesters hoping to get the brain-damaged woman's feeding tube reinserted pledged to take their fight to the gates of the White House.

Neither Schiavo's parents nor her husband offered new, specific details on her condition, but one of the two priests who visited her hospital room said her ``death is imminent'' - a devastating proclamation for those who spent Easter Sunday praying for a woman they never knew.

``We are Terri's voice. Right now, Terri is fighting for her life,'' the Rev. Patrick Mahoney angrily shouted Sunday, his face reddening. He pledged to protest outside the White House on Monday.

Fewer than 10 protesters stayed overnight Monday in rain and wind. One man was arrested before dawn trying to take a jug of water to Schiavo.

Schiavo's mother, Mary Schindler, did not visit her daughter on Easter, emotions keeping her from the hospice for the first time since Terri's feeding tube was removed 10 days ago, said Paul O'Donnell, a Roman Catholic Franciscan monk and a family spokesman.

``If she goes in there again, we might have to take her to the hospital,'' O'Donnell said.

But the woman's parents claimed one Easter victory: Schiavo's husband, Michael, allowed her to receive communion wine.

As her brother, sister and brother-in-law watched, the Rev. Thaddeus Malanowski held Terri's right hand as he and the hospice priest, the Rev. Joseph Braun, placed the droplet on her tongue. Malanowski also anointed her with holy oil, offered a blessing and absolved her of sin.

``She received the blood of Christ,'' said Malanowski, adding he could not give her a fleck of communion bread because her tongue was too dry.

Tensions were noticeably heightened both among the protesters and, apparently, among the closest confidants to the woman's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler. David Gibbs III, their lead lawyer, told CBS' ``Face the Nation'' that Schiavo has ``passed where physically she would be able to recover.''

``In the family's opinion, that is absolutely not true,'' spokesman Randall Terry said outside the hospice.

The Schindler family, also bothered by repeated arrests and heightened anger outside the hospice, pleaded with supporters to spend Easter with their families. They had little success; five people were arrested and chants of ``Give Terri water!'' echoed for much of the day.

Extra police officers blocked the road in front of Schiavo's hospice and Pinellas County school officials said an elementary school next to the hospice would be closed Monday.

At least two more state-filed appeals are pending, but those challenges are before the state 2nd District Court of Appeal, which has rebuffed Gov. Jeb Bush's previous efforts in the case.

Doctors have said Terri Schiavo, 41, would probably die within a week or two once the feeding tube - which kept her alive for 15 years - was disconnected. She relied on the tube since suffering catastrophic brain damage when her heart stopped beating and oxygen was cut off to her brain.

At Michael Schiavo's Clearwater home, protesters dropped roses and Easter lilies on his lawn - a peaceful protest interrupted when sprinklers came on.

His fiancee's brother picked up the flowers and handed them to a bystander to take away. John Centonze declined to answer questions, only saying that Michael Schiavo was ``very upset.''

During Easter services at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Clearwater, the Rev. Ted Costello avoided mentioning the Schiavo case. Yet at Faith Lutheran Church in Dunedin, the Rev. Peter Kolb thought Schiavo's story was appropriate for his sermon. ``One day, we're all going to go through the valley,'' Kolb told churchgoers.

And some protesters continued demanding that the governor, but Bush told CNN he cannot ignore numerous state and federal court rulings against intervention. ``I don't have powers ... that would allow me to intervene after a decision has been made,'' he said.

Gibbs told CBS he believed Bush has done all he could. ``Gov. Bush has been a real friend,'' he said.

Schiavo's parents dispute that their daughter is in a persistent vegetative state as court-ordered doctors have determined. Michael Schiavo contends his wife told him she would not want to be kept alive artificially.

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Family advisor: Schiavo reacted to friend's visit

Miami Herald | March 28, 2005
BY NOAH BIERMAN

PINELLAS PARK -Terri Schiavo had an ''extraordinary'' reaction to a friend's Sunday night visit, her parents' spokesman claimed Monday morning.

Friar Paul O'Donnell, spiritual advisor to Bob and Mary Schindler, said Schiavo received a visit from her father and friend Sunday night. When the friend, identified as Sherry, recalled their days dancing and partying together, Schiavo ''raised her hands up and was moving and started making gutteral sounds like she does when she talks to her mother,'' O'Donnell said.

Doctors have concluded that Schiavo is in a persistent vegetative state and that apparent reactions to loved ones are reflective. Supporters of the Schindlers are still hoping Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will intervene to replace a feeding tube that has kept Schiavo alive the last 15 years.

O'Donnell and other family spokesmen have been making regular pleads to replace the tube since it was removed 10 days ago.

''Everyone is willing to write this woman's obituary except one person and that's Terri Schiavo,'' O'Donnell said.

The courts have ruled that Schiavo did not wish to stay alive through artificial feeding. Gov. Bush has said there is no more he can do. END

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Florida U.S. Courts Won't Hear Schiavo Case
Greer Refuses to Hear Bush's Arguments for Custody

Associated Press | March 24, 2005

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) - A state judge and the U.S. Supreme Court refused Thursday to intervene in the case of Terri Schiavo, leaving the brain-damaged woman's parents with only the slimmest hopes in their fight to keep her alive.

Meanwhile, a hearing was set in Tampa on Thursday evening on yet another legal move.

Gov. Jeb Bush's request seeking custody cited new allegations of neglect and challenges the diagnoses that Schiavo is in a persistent vegetative state, but Pinellas Circuit Judge George Greer wasn't convinced and declined to hear Bush's arguments.

"The requested intervention ... appears to be brought for the purpose of circumventing the courts' final judgment and order setting the removal date in violation of the separate of powers doctorate," Greer ruled Thursday.

Greer's decision Thursday afternoon came hours after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to order her feeding tube reinserted. The decisions reduce chances for quick intervention to reconnect the tube, which was pulled last Friday. Doctors have said Schiavo, 41, likely would die in a week or two without nourishment.

Bush said he was expecting Greer to rule against the state and he planned to appeal. He added that he won't violate Greer's order by sending state officers to take custody of Schiavo under a law that allows the Department of Children & Families to act in emergency situations of adult abuse.

Bush's legal team is still frantically poring over state laws to see if there's another way to intervene while appealing Greer's decision.

Attorneys for the parents declined to comment on Greer's latest ruling. Lawyers for the husband didn't return a phone message for comment.

In his ruling, Greer said an affidavit from neurologist William Cheshire, who believes that Schiavo is "minimally conscious," was not enough to set aside the judgment in the long-running legal case that established Terri Schiavo's right to have the feeding tube removed.

"Theresa Marie Schiavo cannot live without a nutrition and hydration tube and Dr. Cheshire does not suggest otherwise. By clear and convincing evidence, it was determined she did not want to live under such burdensome conditions and that she would refuse such medical treatment/assistance," Greer wrote.

The appeal by her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, was part of a rush of legal activity in the unprecedented right-to-die struggle. They have frantically tried to reconnect the tube because they deny Michael Schiavo's arguments that she has no hope for recovery.

Schiavo's husband, Michael, had urged the high court not to intervene, saying her case has been endlessly litigated and state courts have agreed with him that she would not want to live in her current condition.

The Supreme Court justices didn't explain their decision, which was received by somber supporters outside the woman's hospice in Pinellas Pines. It was at least the fifth time the nation's high court declined to get involved in the Schiavo case.

Greer had issued an emergency order Wednesday to keep the state Department of Children and Families from reconnecting the tube. On Thursday, even before ruling on the custody question, Greer reinforced that order.

Outside the Pinellas County courthouse, about 30 protesters knelt in prayer.

Also Thursday, David Gibbs III, the attorney for the Schindlers, filed an amended version of his still-pending civil rights lawsuit against Michael Schiavo and others in federal court in Tampa. He also asked for a temporary injunction, and a hearing was set for Thursday evening.

"The new claims raised are even more insubstantial than the old claims," said George Felos, Michael Schiavo's attorney. He said he is hopeful the case will soon be peacefully settled and criticized state officials.

"It saddens me greatly that we have to run to court to get court orders to protect Terri Schiavo from the abuse of the state of Florida," Felos said.

But Gibbs said he wished the high court "waded in," adding that the justices "could have provided great guidance in this confusing issue."

The Schindlers filed their request with the high court late Wednesday, only hours after a federal appeals court refused to order the tube reinserted and the Florida Legislature decided not to intervene.

Lawyers for Michael Schiavo said in their Supreme Court filing that Congress violated the Constitution when it passed a bill allowing federal court review of her case, because that tried to overturn state court rulings.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee and Republican Senators Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and Mel Martinez of Florida filed a friend-of-the-court brief late Wednesday siding with Schiavo's parents.

"This is not about Terri anymore. This is all a political view," Scott Schiavo, Michael Schiavo's brother, told CNN on Thursday. "They're being bullied, actually, by these right-for-life people, basically telling them, 'If you don't go our way, you won't get our votes.'"

Terri Schiavo suffered brain damage in 1990 when her heart stopped briefly from a chemical imbalance believed to have been brought on by an eating disorder. Court-appointed doctors say she is in a persistent vegetative state with no hope of recovery.

Her parents and their doctors argue that she could get better and that she would never have wanted to be cut off from food and water. But Ronald Cranford of the University of Minnesota, a neurologist who was among those who made a previous diagnosis of Schiavo, said "there isn't a reputable, credible neurologist in the world who won't find her in a vegetative state." END

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Jean Ziegler, a United Nations (UN) specialist on hunger who prepared the report, blamed the worsening situation in Iraq on the war led by coalition forces. It is tragic that small children and families must go hungry and malnourished because of greedy evil elite men who put themselves into the place of God. The same horrible fate was forced upon Terri Schiavo, who was denied food and water until she was tormented to death. It is indeed a form of murder...

“The silent daily massacre by hunger is a form of murder; it must be battled and eliminated.” —Jean Ziegler, UN Specialist on hunger

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Shocking Affidavit From Terri's Nurse

AFFIDAVIT

STATE OF FLORIDA )

COUNTY OF PINELLAS )

BEFORE ME the undersigned authority personally appeared CARLA SAUER IYER, R.N., who being first duly sworn, deposes and says:

 

1. My name is Carla Sauer Iyer. I am over the age of eighteen and make this statement of my own personal knowledge.

2. I am a registered nurse in the State of Florida, having been licensed continuously in Florida from 1997 to the present. Prior to that I was a Licensed Practical Nurse for about four years.
 

3. I was employed at Palm Garden of Largo Convalescent Center in Largo, Florida from April of 1995 to July 1996, while Terri Schiavo was a patient there.

 

4. It was clear to me at Palm Gardens that all decisions regarding Terri Schiavo were made by Michael Schiavo, with no allowance made for any discussion, debate or normal professional judgment. My initial training there consisted solely of the instruction "Do what Michael Schiavo tells you or you will be terminated." This struck me as extremely odd.

 

5. I was very disturbed by the decision making protocol, as no allowance whatsoever was made for professional responsibility. The atmosphere throughout the facility was dominated by Mr. Schiavo's intimidation. Everyone there, with the exception of several people who seemed to be close to Michael, was intimidated by him. Michael Schiavo always had an overbearing attitude, yelling numerous times such things as "This is my order and you're going to follow it." He is very large and uses menacing body language, such as standing too close to you, getting right in your face and practically shouting.

 

6. To the best of my recollection, rehabilitation had been ordered for Terri, but I never saw any being done or had any reason at all to believe that there was ever any rehab of Terri done at Palm Gardens while I was there. I became concerned because nothing was being done for Terri at all, no antibiotics, no tests, no range of motion therapy, no stimulation, no nothing. Michael said again and again that Terri should NOT get any rehab, that there should be no range of motion whatsoever, or anything else. I and a CNA named Roxy would give Terri range of motion anyway. One time I put a wash cloth in Terri's hand to keep her fingers from curling together, and Michael saw it and made me take it out, saying that was therapy.

7. Terri's medical condition was systematically distorted and misrepresented. When I worked with her, she was alert and oriented. Terri spoke on a regular basis while in my presence, saying such things as "mommy," and "help me." "Help me" was, in fact, one of her most frequent utterances. I heard her say it hundreds of times. Terri would try to say the word "pain" when she was in discomfort, but it came out more like "pay." She didn't say the "n" sound very well. During her menses she would indicate her discomfort by saying "pay" and moving her arms toward her lower abdominal area. Other ways that she would indicate that she was in pain included pursing her lips, grimacing, thrashing in bed, curling her toes or moving her legs around. She would let you know when she had a bowel movement by flipping up the covers and pulling on her diaper.

8. When I came into her room and said "Hi, Terri", she would always recognize my voice and her name, and would turn her head all the way toward me, saying "Haaaiiiii" sort of, as she did. I recognized this as a "hi", which is very close to what it sounded like, the whole sound being only a second or two long. When I told her humorous stories about my life or something I read in the paper, Terri would chuckle, sometimes more a giggle or laugh. She would move her whole body, upper and lower. Her legs would sometimes be off the bed, and need to be repositioned. I made numerous entries into the nursing notes in her chart, stating verbatim what she said and her various behaviors, but by my next on-duty shift, the notes would be deleted from her chart. Every time I made a positive entry about any responsiveness of Terri's, someone would remove it after my shift ended. Michael always demanded to see her chart as soon as he arrived, and would take it in her room with him. I documented Terri's rehab potential well, writing whole pages about Terri's responsiveness, but they would always be deleted by the next time I saw her chart. The reason I wrote so much was that everybody else seemed to be afraid to make positive entries for fear of their jobs, but I felt very strongly that a nurses job was to accurately record everything we see and hear that bears on a patients condition and their family. I upheld the Nurses Practice Act, and if it cost me my job, I was willing to accept that.

9. Throughout my time at Palm Gardens, Michael Schiavo was focused on Terri's death. Michael would say "When is she going to die?," "Has she died yet?" and "When is that bitch gonna die?" These statements were common knowledge at Palm Gardens, as he would make them casually in passing, without regard even for who he was talking to, as long as it was a staff member. Other statements which I recall him making include "Can't you do anything to accelerate her death - won't she ever die?" When she wouldn't die, Michael would be furious. Michael was also adamant that the family should not be given information. He made numerous statements such as "Make sure the parents aren't contacted." I recorded Michael's statements word for word in Terri's chart, but these entries were also deleted after the end of my shift. Standing orders were that the family wasn't to be contacted, in fact, there was a large sign in the front of her chart that said under no circumstances was her family to be called, call Michael immediately, but I would call them, anyway, because I thought they should know about their daughter.

10. Any time Terri would be sick, like with a UTI or fluid buildup in her lungs, colds, pneumonia, Michael would be visibly excited, thrilled even, hoping that she would die. He would call me, as I was the nurse supervisor on the floor, and ask for every little detail about her temperature, blood pressure, etc., and would call back frequently asking if she was dead yet. He would blurt out "I'm going to be rich!," and would talk about all the things he would buy when Terri died, which included a new car, a new boat, and going to Europe, among other things.

11. When Michael visited Terri, he always came alone and always had the door closed and locked while he was with Terri. He would typically be there about twenty minutes or so. When he left Terri would would be trembling, crying hysterically, and would be very pale and have cold sweats. It looked to me like Terri was having a hypoglycemic reaction, so I'd check her blood

 

sugar. The glucometer reading would be so low it was below the range where it would register an actual number reading. I would put dextrose in Terri's mouth to counteract it. This happened about five times on my shift as I recall. Normally Terri's blood sugar levels were very stable due to the uniformity of her diet through tube feeding. It is my belief that Michael injected Terri with Regular insulin, which is very fast acting.

12. The longer I was employed at Palm Gardens the more concerned I became about patient care, both relating to Terri Schiavo, for the reasons I've said, and other patients, too. There was an LPN named Carolyn Adams, known as "Andy" Adams who was a particular concern. An unusual number of patients seemed to die on her shift, but she was completely unconcerned, making statements such as "They are old - let them die." I couldn't believe her attitude or the fact that it didn't seem to attract any attention. She made many comments about Terri being a waste of money, that she should die. She

 

said it was costing Michael a lot of money to keep her alive, and that he complained about it constantly (I heard him complain about it all the time, too.) Both Michael and Adams said that she would be worth more to him if she were dead. I ultimately called the police relative to this situation, and was terminated the next day. Other reasons were cited, but I was convinced it was because of my "rocking the boat."

13. Ms. Adams was one of the people who did not seem to be intimidated by Michael. In fact, they seemed to be very close, and Adams would do whatever Michael told her. Michael sometimes called Adams at night and spoke at length. I was not able to hear the content of these phone calls, but I knew it was him talking to her because she would tell me afterward and relay orders from him.

14. While at Palm Gardens, I became fearful for my personal safety. This was due to Michael's constant intimidation, including his menacing body language, vocal tone and mannerisms.

 

15. I have contacted the Schindler family because I just couldn't stand by and let Terri die without the truth being known.

FURTHER AFFIANT SAYETH NAUGHT.

CARLA SAUER IYER, R.N.

The foregoing instrument was acknowledged before me this _____ day of September, 2003, by CARLA SAUER IYER, R.N., who produced her Florida driver's license as identification, and who did / did not take an oath.

 

(Non-text portions of this message have been removed). END

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Child Arrested Trying To Bring Water To Terri Schiavo

The Australian | March 24, 2005

POLICE today handcuffed and led away three children and seven adults who tried to take water into the hospice where brain-damaged Terri Schiavo is being cared for.

With mounting international attention on the Schiavo right-to-die battle, activists gathered outside the hospice after a federal appeals court became the latest to turn down attempts by Mrs. Schiavo's parents to get a feeding tube lifeline reinstalled.

The tube was taken out on Saturday. The 41-year-old woman has been in what doctors call a persistent vegetative state for 15 years.

Her husband says she did not want to be kept alive artificially and should be allowed to die. Her parents say Mrs. Schiavo's condition could improve with treatment.

The demonstrators, who were carrying cups of water, refused to move off the property of the Woodside hospice in Pinellas Park, Florida, and were led away one-by-one by police, handcuffed and put in a police van.

Some read messages for Mrs. Schiavo before being handcuffed. Others knelt on the ground.

One 14-year-old girl and two brothers aged 12 and 10 were among the 10 people taken away by police.

"I am proud of them," said the boys' mother Geilen Keys from Texas. "They are very mature and they said 'we want to go and offer some water to Terri'."

Another woman was arrested for staging a similar protest yesterday.

END

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Nurse: "Michael tried to kill Terri"
Former caregiver asserts husband 'doesn't want the truth to be known'

World Net Daily | March 23 2005

Michael Schiavo once tried to kill his wife Terri with insulin shots, according to a former caregiver for the brain-injured Florida woman.

The estranged husband -- who is living with another woman with whom he has two children -- "wants her to die; he doesn't want the truth to be known," said Carla Sauer Iyer in an interview this morning on the Fox News Channel program "Fox and Friends."

WorldNetDaily reported the registered nurse's testimony in 2003 when it was presented in a 24-page complaint filed in a federal lawsuit alleging Michael Schiavo had forbidden medical professionals to provide his wife with any therapy or rehabilitation and had attempted to hasten her death while she was a patient at the Pinellas Park, Fla., hospice she has lived in since 2000.

After Terri Schiavo's collapse in 1990 under disputed circumstances, Michael Schiavo won a malpractice lawsuit, promising to use the money for her therapy. Afterward, however, he requested a "do not resuscitate" order, refused therapy and barred stimulation and treatment for infections.

Michael Schiavo believes the collapse, during which oxygen temporarily was cut off to the brain, was the result of an eating disorder, but her parents suspect he tried to strangle her.

Iyer said in the FNC interview that when Terri Schiavo was having a urinary tract infection, Michael Schiavo "would be excited, thrilled, even hoping that she would die soon."

"What makes you say that?" Iyer was asked.

"He would blurt out 'When is she gonna die? When is that B-I-T-C-H gonna die? Hasn't she died yet?'"

A federal judge early this morning refused to order reinsertion of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube after emergency intervention by Congress and President Bush.

The tube was removed Friday afternoon after Florida courts rejected a flurry of motions by Robert and Mary Schindler to keep their daughter alive.

In a 13-page ruling, U.S. District Judge James Whittemore of Tampa said the 41-year-old woman's parents had not established a "substantial likelihood of success" at trial on the merits of their arguments.

'Help me'

In her sworn affidavit, Iyer, who cared for Terri Schiavo from April 1995 until August of 1996, stated Terri used to talk to her as much as she could and frequently used what sounded like the word "pain." She also interpreted Terri's vocalizing at times as crying "help me."

In contrast, the courts are operating on the finding of fact that Terri Schiavo is in a "persistent vegetative state" and does not intentionally respond to stimuli. The Schindlers insist that while Terri is severely handicapped, she recognizes them and interacts with laughter, crying, moans and attempts to form words.

Iyer says she was fired after notifying police about her suspicions.

While acknowledging she had no proof, the nurse said she suspects Michael Schiavo injected Terri, who normally has "very stable" blood sugar levels, with regular insulin to drive her into hypoglycemic shock during his visits.

"Terri would be trembling, crying hysterically and would be very pale and have cold sweats," Iyer wrote. "So I'd check her blood sugar. The glucometer reading would be so low that it was below the range where it would register an actual number reading."

Schiavo repeatedly and strenuously has denied allegations of abuse. Felos described the accusations as "a bunch of garbage." He called caregivers' claims Terri spoke to them "a fabrication."

In the Fox News Channel interview today, Iyer said she saw needle marks under Terri Schiavo's breast and groin after Michael Schiavo had been left in the closed room with her. A used syringe was found in the trash.

Iyer said that when Michael Schiavo found out she and another nurse were feeding Terri liquids and liquefied foods, he warned he would get them fired if they didn't stop.

These facts were not taken into consideration in the court cases, Iyer stated.

" ... I think a gag order was put on all confidence things Terri had done," Iyer said.

One of the Schindlers' legal roadblocks is that in the original hearings more than 10 years ago, they followed the advice of a lawyer who had them agree to stipulate that Terri was in a "persistent vegetative state."

Subsequently, they provided the court with "reams of medical evidence" indicating Terri could be rehabilitated, but the court would not consider it because of the stipulation, according to a spokesman, Gary McCullough.

"It was a huge error on the part of lawyers at the front end," he said.

END

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Nurse: "Terri Can Eat Normally"

NewsMax/Carl Limbacher | March 21, 2005

A certified nursing assistant who cared for Terri Schiavo in 1997 filed a sworn affidavit in the case stating that she was able to feed Schiavo normally on multiple occasions - but that husband Michael Schiavo would allow only a feeding tube.

Heidi Law, a CNA at the Palm Gardens nursing home, testified:

"At least three times during any shift where I took care of Terri, I made sure to give Terri a wet washcloth filled with ice chips, to keep her mouth moistened. I personally saw her swallow the ice water and never saw her gag.
"[Another CNA] and I frequently put orange juice or apple juice in her washcloth to give her something nice to taste, which made her happy. On three or four occasions I personally fed Terri small mouthfuls of Jello, which she was able to swallow and enjoyed immensely."

Law testified that the only reason she didn't attempt to feed Ms. Schiavo more frequently was "because I was so afraid of being caught by Michael."

Editorializing on the case in light of Law's account, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette said Sunday, "It is one thing to withdraw a feeding tube; another entirely to withhold that day's meal tray."

Carla Sauer Iyer was a registered nurse at the same facility. In her own affidavit Iyer testified that Ms. Schiavo was capable of speech, explaining, "[Terri] spoke on a regular basis, saying such things as 'Mommy' and 'help me.'"

When she put a washcloth in Terri's hands to keep her fingers from curling together, Iyer said, "Michael saw it and made me take it out, saying that was therapy" that he had forbidden.

"Throughout my time at Palm Gardens, Michael Schiavo was focused on Terri's death," the RN noted. "Michael would say 'When is she going to die?' 'Has she died yet?' and 'When is that bitch gonna die?'" END

Schiavo's Parents Appeal Judge's Ruling

Associated Press | March 22, 2005
By VICKIE CHACHERE

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - A federal judge on Tuesday refused to order the reinsertion of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube, denying an emergency request from the brain-damaged woman's parents. The parents' lawyer quickly filed a notice of appeal.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge James Whittemore came after feverish action by President Bush and Congress on legislation allowing the contentious case to be reviewed by federal courts. The judge said the 41-year-old woman's parents had not established a ``substantial likelihood of success'' at trial on the merits of their arguments.

The notice of appeal was filed electronically hours later with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta by David Gibbs III, an attorney for Terri Schiavo's parents. The notice tells the court that the full appeal will follow. That court was already considering an appeal on whether Terri Schiavo's right to due process had been violated.

Whittemore wrote that Schiavo's ``life and liberty interests'' had been protected by Florida courts. Despite ``these difficult and time-strained circumstances,'' he wrote, ``this court is constrained to apply the law to the issues before it.''

While Rex Sparklin, another attorney for the parents, said the appeal was needed to ``save Terri's life,'' Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, praised the ruling.

``What this judge did is protect the freedom of people to make their own end-of-life decisions without the intrusion of politicians,'' Simon said.

Bobby Schindler, Terri Schiavo's brother, said his family was crushed. ``To have to see my parents go through this is absolutely barbaric,'' he told ABC's ``Good Morning America'' on Tuesday. ``I'd love for these judges to sit in a room and see this happening as well.''

Attempts to reach the woman's father, Bob Schindler, were unsuccessful early Tuesday. George Felos, the attorney for husband Michael Schiavo, hung up twice when reached by reporters from The Associated Press.

But Scott Schiavo, Michael Schiavo's brother, called the judge's decision ``a good thing,'' and said he did not believe Congress should have intervened.

``There's not a law that's made for this,'' Scott Schiavo said in a telephone interview. ``This is something that goes on 100 times a day in our country, that people, their wish to die with dignity is not a federal issue.''

The tube was disconnected Friday on the orders of a state judge, prompting an extraordinary weekend effort by congressional Republicans to push through unprecedented emergency legislation Monday aimed at keeping her alive.

Gov. Jeb Bush was described by a spokeswoman as ``extremely disappointed and saddened'' by the federal judge's decision not to order the tube reconnected. ``Gov. Bush will continue to do what he legally can within his powers to protect Terri Schiavo, a vulnerable person,'' said spokeswoman Alia Faraj.

Terri Schiavo did not have a living will. Her husband has fought in courts for years to have the tube removed because, he said, she would not want to be kept alive artificially and she has no hope for recovery. Her parents contend she responds to them and that her condition could improve.

Court-appointed doctors say she is in a persistent vegetative state with no hope of recovery. Doctors have said she could survive one to two weeks without the feeding tube.

Gibbs argued at a Monday hearing in front of Whittemore that letting Terri Schiavo starve would be ``a mortal sin'' under her Roman Catholic beliefs and urged quick action: ``Terri may die as I speak.''

But Felos argued that keeping the woman alive also violated her rights and noted that the case has been aired thoroughly in state courts.

``Yes, life is sacred,'' Felos said. ``So is liberty, particularly in this country.''

Michael Schiavo said he was outraged that lawmakers and the president intervened in a private matter. ``When Terri's wishes are carried out, it will be her wish. She will be at peace. She will be with the Lord,'' he said on CNN's ``Larry King Live'' late Monday.

Terri Schiavo suffered brain damage in 1990 when her heart stopped briefly. Her collapse was later linked to a potassium imbalance believed to have been brought on by an eating disorder. A successful malpractice lawsuit argued that doctors had failed to diagnose the eating disorder. She can breathe on her own, but has relied on the feeding tube to keep her alive.

According to a CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll of 909 adults taken over the weekend, nearly six in 10 people said they think the feeding tube should be removed and felt they would want to remove it for a child or spouse in the same condition. END

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Judge Won't Order Schiavo Tube Reinserted

Associated Press | March 22, 2005
By VICKIE CHACHERE

TAMPA, Fla. - A federal judge on Tuesday refused to order the reinsertion of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube, denying an emergency request from the brain-damaged woman's parents that had been debated in Congress and backed by the White House.

U.S. District Judge James Whittemore said the 41-year-old woman's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, had not established a "substantial likelihood of success" at trial on the merits of their arguments.

Whittemore wrote that Schiavo's "life and liberty interests" had been protected by Florida courts. Despite "these difficult and time-strained circumstances," he wrote, "this court is constrained to apply the law to the issues before it."

Rex Sparklin, an attorney representing Terri Schiavo's parents, said lawyers were immediately appealing to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta to "save Terri's life." That court was already considering an appeal on whether Terri Schiavo's right to due process had been violated.

(AP) A security officer watches from the front door of the Elbert Parr Tuttle U.S. Court of Appeals...
Full Image
Howard Simon, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida, praised the ruling: "What this judge did is protect the freedom of people to make their own end-of-life decisions without the intrusion of politicians."

Bobby Schindler, Terri Schiavo's brother, said his family was crushed. "To have to see my parents go through this is absolutely barbaric," he told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Tuesday. "I'd love for these judges to sit in a room and see this happening as well."

But Scott Schiavo, brother of Terri's husband, Michael, called the judge's decision "a good thing," and said he did not believe Congress should have intervened.

"There's not a law that's made for this," Scott Schiavo told The AP in a telephone interview. "This is something that goes on 100 times a day in our country, that people, their wish to die with dignity is not a federal issue."

Attempts to reach Bob Schindler were unsuccessful early Tuesday. George Felos, the attorney for Michael Schiavo, hung up twice when reached by reporters from The Associated Press.

Whittemore's decision comes after feverish action by President Bush and Congress on legislation allowing the brain-damaged woman's contentious case to be reviewed by federal courts.

The tube was disconnected Friday on the orders of a state judge, prompting an extraordinary weekend effort by congressional Republicans to push through unprecedented emergency legislation Monday aimed at keeping her alive.

Gov. Jeb Bush was described by a spokeswoman as "extremely disappointed and saddened" over the judge's decision not to order the tube reconnected. "Gov. Bush will continue to do what he legally can within his powers to protect Terri Schiavo, a vulnerable person," said the spokeswoman, Alia Faraj.

Terri Schiavo did not have a living will. Her husband has fought in courts for years to have the tube removed because he said she would not want to be kept alive artificially and she has no hope for recovery. Her parents contend she responds to them and her condition could improve.

David Gibbs III, the parents' attorney, argued at a Monday hearing in front of Whittemore that forcing Terri Schiavo to starve would be "a mortal sin" under her Roman Catholic beliefs and urged quick action: "Terri may die as I speak."

But George Felos, an attorney for Michael Schiavo, argued that keeping the woman alive also violated her rights and noted that the case has been aired thoroughly in state courts.

"Yes, life is sacred," Felos said, contending that restarting artificial feedings would be against Schiavo's wishes. "So is liberty, particularly in this country."

Michael Schiavo said he was outraged that lawmakers and the president intervened in a private matter. "When Terri's wishes are carried out, it will be her wish. She will be at peace. She will be with the Lord," he said on CNN's "Larry King Live" late Monday.

Terri Schiavo suffered brain damage in 1990 when her heart stopped briefly. Her collapse was later linked to a potassium imbalance believed to have been brought on by an eating disorder. A successful malpractice lawsuit argued that doctors had failed to diagnose the eating disorder. She can breathe on her own, but has relied on the feeding tube to keep her alive.

Court-appointed doctors say she is in a persistent vegetative state with no hope of recovery, while her parents insist she could recover with treatment. Doctors have said Schiavo could survive one to two weeks without the feeding tube.

According to a CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll of 909 adults taken over the weekend, nearly six in 10 people said they think the feeding tube should be removed and felt they would want to remove it for a child or spouse in the same condition.

On Tuesday, reaction to the judge's decision from the handful of protesters outside the woman's hospice came quickly. "It's terrible. They're going to talk and talk and she's going to die," said Miriam Zlotolow, 59, of Venice, Calif. END

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Terri's Struggle: An Infowars Special Report

Infowars.com | March 21, 2005

First of all, please go visit www.terrisfight.org to see just how brain-damaged Terri Schiavo is. She opens her eyes on request, reacts to her mother's attention and responds to music.

Not that that matters. Terri matters. Life matters.

The Dehumanist culture of death wants you to believe that it is alright and "humane" to "euthanize" the injured, the brain-damaged and the terminally ill.

The horror of Terri's case illustrates The degree of sickness to which the dehumanization has evolved. Terri's husband wants her out of the way and wants to starve her to death. Terri who recognizes and knows her mother.

The court thinks that is fine and has now removed the stay making the murder possible. All throughout the mainstream media you see reports of how brain damaged Terri is and "who knows if her reactions are real or just reflex impulses?"

We're convinced they're not, but even if they were, should she be murdered for being injured and ill when her parents and friends are desperately trying to defend the gift of life she has been given?

Take heed of this horrific precedent and do what you can to help save Terri." -Alex Jones. END

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Both Sides in Fate of Brain-Damaged Woman Await Judge's Ruling After Political Maneuvering

The Associated Press | March 21, 2005
By VICKIE CHACHERE

The parents of Terri Schiavo asked a judge to reinsert the brain-damaged woman's feeding tube Monday, following an extraordinary political fight that consumed both chambers of Congress and prompted the president to rush back to the White House.

An attorney for Schiavo's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, arrived at federal district court in Tampa and filed a request for an emergency injunction to keep their daughter fed.

When the attorney, David Gibbs II, was asked if he had any indication when the judge would rule on the request, he said: "I have no way to know, just that it's in the hands of the court."

It was assigned to U.S. District Judge James Whittemore, who was nominated to the court in 1999 by President Clinton. Gibbs said the judge sent a message that he would call the Schindlers' lawyers back to court once he completed a review of the filings in the case. Whittemore's staff was not available for comment early Monday morning.

Earlier Monday, the House, following a move by the Senate, passed a bill to let the parents ask a federal judge to prolong Schiavo's life by reinserting her feeding tube. President Bush signed the measure less than an hour later.

Schiavo's husband, Michael Schiavo, said he was outraged that lawmakers and the president were intervening in the contentious right-to-die battle. He has fought for years with his wife's parents over whether she should be permitted to die or kept alive through the feeding tube.

"This is a sad day for Terri. But I'll tell you what: It's also is a sad day for everyone in this country because the United States government is going to come in and trample all over your personal, family matters," he told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Monday.

Michael Schiavo has not responded to repeated interview requests from The Associated Press.

The lawsuit alleges a series of rights violations, including that Terri Schiavo's religious beliefs were being infringed upon, that the removal of the feeding tube violated her rights and that she was not provided an independent attorney to represent her interests.

Outside the hospice where his daughter entered her fourth day without food or water, Bob Schindler told reporters "I'm numb, I'm just totally numb. This whole thing, it's hard to believe it."

A shout of joy was heard from the crowd outside the hospice when news of the House bill's passage came. Among those cheering was David Bayly, 45, of Toledo, Ohio: "I'm overjoyed to see the vote and see Terri's life extended by whatever amount God gives her."

When dawn broke Monday, fewer than a dozen demonstrators remained at the hospice, but the area bustled with television lights, cameras and reporters covering the saga.

The 41-year-old woman's feeding tube was removed Friday on a Florida judge's order. Schiavo could linger for one or two weeks if the tube is not reinserted as has happened twice before, once on a judge's order and once after Gov. Jeb Bush signed "Terri's Law," which was later declared unconstitutional.

George Felos, a lawyer for Michael Schiavo, did not return repeated phone messages seeking comment Monday. The voicemail box of George Greer, the Florida circuit judge who presides over the case, was full and didn't accept messages.

Terri Schiavo suffered brain damage in 1990 when her heart stopped briefly because of a possible potassium imbalance brought on by an eating disorder. She can breathe on her own, but has relied on the feeding tube to keep her alive.

Court-appointed doctors say she is in a persistent vegetative state with no hope of recovery. Her husband says she would not want to be kept alive in that condition, but her parents insist she could recover with treatment.

Bob Schindler visited his daughter late Sunday and said he noticed the effects of dehydration on her. He said she appeared to be getting tired, but eventually responded to his teasing by making a face at him.

"It tells us she's still with us," he said.

Brian Schiavo, Michael's brother, said he spent Sunday afternoon with his brother and Terri at the hospice, but Terri did not move or make any noises. "Anybody that thinks that she talks and responds, they need to have a mental health examination," he said.

The bill passed in Congress applies only to Schiavo and would allow a federal court to review the case. The House passed the bill on a 203-58 vote after calling lawmakers back for an emergency Sunday session. The Senate approved the bill Sunday by voice vote. President Bush cut short a visit to his Texas ranch to return to the White House.

"In cases like this one, where there are serious questions and substantial doubts, our society, our laws and our courts should have a presumption in favor of life," President Bush said in a statement after signing the bill.

A crowd of about 50 people prayed and sang outside the hospice on Sunday. One man played "Amazing Grace" on a trumpet, as a pickup truck pulled a trailer bearing 10-foot-high replicas of the stone Ten Commandments tablets and a huge working version of the Liberty Bell.

Gov. Bush, praised the actions of Congress. "We in government have a duty to protect the weak, disabled and vulnerable," he said in a statement Monday. "I appreciate the efforts of state and federal lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who have taken this duty to heart." END

Contrived Killing Sets Precedent for Euthanasia

By Henry Makow Ph.D.
April 02, 2005

by David Bay Director of Cutting Edge Ministry

There is no doubting that the state of Florida has deliberately carried out a contrived killing, for state officials had many other options. Since Terri's parents firmly believed she was capable of being rehabilitated, they repeatedly asked the state to transfer her legal guardianship to them. They were prepared to take care of her, trying to improve her situation, so the state would not be unduly burdened.

Furthermore, testimonies abound from nurses that Terri was not in a permanent vegetative state. This testimony gives additional weight to the arguments from Terri's parents. But, the state of Florida persisted in holding Terri in their death grip, unwilling to allow any change which might be beneficial to either Terri or her husband; this stubborn persistence speaks volumes to the reality that Terri's plight was being manipulated by an unseen higher hand to achieve some larger purpose. That larger purpose was to force Adult Euthanasia through Federal Courts, getting a precedent whereby governments can kill persons under their control.

When the High Court refuses to hear a case, they effectually establish the lower court's decision to become the final ruling. In this terrible tragedy, the Supreme Court ratified the refusal of the 11th Circuit Court which had refused to overrule a Florida State decision to keep the feeding tube disconnected.

Thus, America apparently has a nationwide court ruling similar to the Roe vs. Wade decision which allowed Abortion On Demand. If this is the case, then this country stands at the cusp of the legalization of the Adult Euthanasia which has been occurring for two decades under the surface -- just as Dr. Wolfensberger writes in "The New Genocide" .

You see, Terri's condition made her a "Devalued Person", a term used repeatedly by Dr. Wolfensberger. We shall see more and more "Terri Schiavo's" being legally killed, threatening many people with other disabilities. In fact, people who are paralyzed, brain damaged, ill with terminal conditions, retarded, with Down Syndrome, very elderly -- all have reason to fear. I believe that fear has already started to grow in the minds and hearts of millions of such afflicted people. No longer does society recognize that a person has an inherent spiritual worth bestowed upon them by their Creator -- the traditional Christian stance. Now, a person's worth is pragmatically calculated by how much that person is contributing to society and, conversely, by how much of a "drain" that person represents.

Since the battle over Terri Schiavo has been continuing for 15 long years, Americans have had the opportunity to be conditioned to the values of the "Right To Die" movement. Has this conditioning taken effect? Has it moved large numbers of citizens of Western countries to the belief of the Hemlock Society, that a person has a "right" to determine how and when they will die, and an "obligation" to do so? Be prepared to be shocked. SOURCE

     

Euthanasia by Machine | Remembering Terri Schiavo

Where Are They Now, Heaven Or Hell?

I don't know if Terri Schiavo went home to be with the Lord in Heaven, and that's the truth. Respectfully, Terri was a devout Roman Catholic from what I gather, but I DON' know, so I can't say for certain. I respect everyone's right to believe their own way. I don't condemn people, ever, on a personal basis for their religious views. But what I do is research the different religions and expose the ones that disagree with the inspired Words of God in the Bible. God is always right my friend, and I wouldn't bet against Him if I were you. Jesus said ye must be born again to enter Heaven.

My friend, it is very easy to be saved, just admit that all your human efforts cannot save you. Cease from your own labours and from religious devotion. Acknowledge that you are a sinner for breaking all of God's Commandments, whether in thought or in deed; and then believe the Gospel (good news) that Jesus is the Christ Who DIED, was BURIED and RESURRECTED after three days for your sins and mine. If you'll RECEIVE THE GOSPEL as payment for your Sins, then you are saved immediately, irrevocably and eternally. That's how to be saved.

Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the only begotten Son of the living God? Have you made the Gospel your hope for Heaven? Do you receive what Christ did for you upon the cross of Calvary as payment for your many sins? I do. This is the only way to be saved and get to Heaven. Adding water baptism, the sacraments or living a good life negates one's faith in Christ. We are saved by grace through faith plus NOTHING! (Ephesians 2:8-9). Most religions falsely teach that faith alone is not enough to save. They are dead wrong!

There are many people, some famous and most simply acquaintances I have known in life, that have passed into eternity and I often wonder where they are today, Heaven or Hell? Jesus said, “Ye must be born again” (John 3:5-7). END

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“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” —2nd Peter 3:9