Colmes: Florida courts are still battling it out over a new law signed by Governor Bush last month, that restored the feeding tube to Terri Schiavo...
Colmes: Terri suffered severe brain damage in 1990, when her heart stopped, cutting off oxygen to her brain. Her husband Michael, has been fighting Terri's parents for years, saying that his wife would NOT want to be kept alive artificially.
Colmes: Michael Schiavo had his wife's feeding tube removal last month, but Governor Bush stepped in and ordered the tube re-inserted six days later under the newly passed state law.
Colmes: Joining us now, to give us an update on Terri's condition, is Terri's mother and father, Mary and Robert Schindler. Good to have you both with us.
Schindlers: Thanks for having us, Thank you
Colmes: First ummm, Mr. Schindler, let me ask you first, how is Terri doing?
Bob Schindler: She seems to be recovered substancially, from the ordeal, ahh, she's still WEAK, but she's a... she's a FIGHTER, no doubt about it.
Colmes: Mrs. Schindler, let me ask you about this whole issue of a pecking order, and who gets to decide... you know, I guess according to the laws of most states, its always the SPOUSE who gets to decide on medical treatment. Should THAT be changed?
Mary Schindler: Absolutely. I think that umm, hopefully, you know, we can do something in that, after umm, we get our, life straightened out with Terri. We're going to try to umm, help the disabled, and you know, change some laws. Parents have NO rights at all right now,
Colmes: But what happens, I mean, you have a unique case... Are you saying in general, its better for the parents to make this decision, than a spouse?
Mary Schindler: No, I don't think that its BETTER for the parents, But I think that they should have SOMETHING to SAY, in what happens to their daughter. I mean they were married for 4 years, or 5 years. I've had Terri, you know... I HAD her, she was my daughter.
Colmes: Mr. Schindler, what do YOU think caused her injury?
Bob Schindler: Well, what the doctors are saying now, is that she's really a CEREBRAL PALSY type victim, in that she's become disabled from that, and its ACQUIRED cerebral palsey.
Bob Schindler: We have strong suspicions, we have evidence, and I REALLY at this point, CAN'T get into that, as I'd like to. But one of the, I think the strange phenomena is that ahh, what's happening NOW, you'll see the STRATEGY of Terri's adversaries has CHANGED, meaning the attorneys and her husband.
Bob Schindler: Where NOW they're concentrating on her WISHES. And BEFORE it was her CONDITION, the PVS. And there were 150 thousand people that contacted Governor Bush, saying she definately was NOT in a PVS condition.
Sean: Yea,
Bob Schindler: So... and that made the change. Thats what happened. And I admire the Governor for, you know having the integrity to stand up, and he, I'm sure recognized it as well.
[Sean/Schindler interruptions due to satellite delays]
Bob Schindler: So, what the spin NOW is, thats coming out of the ahh, her adversaries, is that her... these WISHES, and its ALSO coming out of the COURTS, its Terri's WISHES... and in time, we'll prove THAT to be wrong too... if we're given a chance.
Sean: Mister Schindler, Sean Hannity here, welcome back to the program. Good to see you.
Schindlers: Thank you...[nod]
Sean: Mister Schindler, you've been on this program, and you felt that the husband does NOT want Terri to wake up, for fear of what she might remember about the CAUSE of this incident. Can you go that in more detail?
[videoclip of Michael getting into a woman's SUV, more later*]
Bob Schindler: No ahh, Its pretty obvious Sean, when you start piecing things together over the past years. She hasn't received ANY type of therapy... and, initially, Terri was TALKING, she was reacting..., and in that same timeframe, there were doctors WAY back when, that said she could recover with advanced therapy, and he stopped EVERYTHING on her. And she's LITERALLY been a PRISONER.
Sean: He went on some other show, and he wasn't challenged, and he just got to make this BLANKET claim, that YOU tried to make this ALL about money. Do you know what incident he was referring to? Do you know what he was even talking about?
Bob Schindler: Yea, I think what you're looking at is a SPIN there. What they do there, is try... and you're familiar in politics?
Sean: Sure,
Bob Schindler: They TRY to take the focus off of Terri. And its the old "accuse the accuser" type of thing. And we're defending our DAUGHTER. She has no ATTORNEY defending her. There's no guardian ad litem, which there SHOULD be, So it was left in our hands to defend her. And immediately, our family was VILLIFIED for doing that.
Colmes: We'll pick it up right there on the other side right after the break, We'll come right back. You're watching the network America trusts for REAL journalism, FAIR and BALANCED. [commercial break]
Sean: We continue now with Robert and Mary Schindler...
Mister Schindler, let me go back to you... I want to ask you this question about... you're getting medical opinions... COMPETENT certified medical opinions, that say that she CAN in fact, BREAK OUT of this state, correct?
Bob Schindler: That is correct.
Sean: How many have you got-
Bob Schindler: That's VERY correct.
Sean: What are they saying to you?
Bob Schindler: Oh ahh, everything is predicated on her, you know, getting the proper THERAPY. Which has been, you know, did not take place in her life for, God, 13 years. You know, she's been literally in PRISON for FOUR years. She's not permitted to go outside. She gets NO stimulation. She has a wheelchair that's BROKEN, and that he husband will NOT fix.
Bob Schindler: And let me add one more thing... There IS an investigation taking place right NOW... ahh, by an advocacy agency that... about the ABUSE that Terri's received. I think THAT investigation, when its concluded, will produce enough ahh... evidence to COMPELL the state attorney to conduct a CRIMINAL investigation.
Sean: Do you believe, he PUT her in this condition? We've discussed it in detail, Do you have, Mister Schindler, any evidence, to, to... cause I think this is important, cause thats such a heavy allegation to make... Do you HAVE any evidence, that can convince other OFFICIALS that in fact, he PUT her in this condition, or CONTRIBUTED to it?
Bob Schindler: Yea, well I TOTALLY believe that, yes. And we have evidence, and its a matter of getting access to, ADDITIONAL evidence, thats been under lock and key for all these years. And that has REALLY been withheld from us. And we NEED to have the STATE come in and INVESTIGATE it. And they will NOT. As of yet.
Colmes: Mister Schindler, why do you think that is? If you think you've GOT the evidence, and if its under lock and key, and if you can MAKE that proof, why do you think the state wouldn't be persueing it?
Bob Schindler: THATS a good question. We can't answer that.
Colmes: Mrs Schindler, Michael says, her husband says, that he tried desperately to find a cure, he tried experimental treatments in California ahh, planting electrodes in her brain to stimulate function, they took her Bradenton Florida to brain surgery specialists in a special facility, hired private duty nurses to take her on outings... Do you discount all of that?
Mary Schindler: No, not ALL of it. He took her to California. He took her to Mediplex. But after 1992, when the malpractice money came in, she hasn't had ANYTHING. She's been COMPLETELY isolated from ANY kind of therapy... ANYTHING.
Sean: Well, Mister and Mrs Schindler, we are glad, I am glad, that you got that ruling, that ahh, saved her life, and we wish you all the best in your struggle, and I'm sorry that you have to go through all of this. Thank you both for being with us, and we'll continue to update the situation.
Both Schindlers: Thank you very much. [Bob.S]We appreciate it.
[Transcripted for education and discussion purposes only, not guaranteed to be 100% accurate. ]
[*a videoclip showed Michael getting into a tall tan SUV with a tall thin woman with short blonde hair, roughly age 35, driving. She looked over at him, smiled, said a couple of words, and drove off. She was wearing a somewhat casual, but still dressy tan skirt and blue top.
Michael is 6'6", and when both were seated, SHE seemed as tall, or even a little taller than Michael. The SUV has a black roof rack, black trim around the windows, and was boxy in back. It said "AWD" (all wheel drive) in white letters on its cargo area back side window. The sticker looked exactly like this one shown, minus the word 'SPECIFICATIONS' and appeared to be a Subaru, possibly a 2002 Subaru Forester] 