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Parents Seek New Tests for Right-To-Die Fla. Woman
http://olympics.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=7665711
CLEARWATER, Fla. (Reuters) - The parents of a brain-damaged Florida woman at the center of a right-to-die battle said on Thursday they would ask a court to order new medical tests before she is allowed to die.
Robert Schindler, the father of Theresa "Terri" Schiavo, said the tests should be done because of a recent study that found patients with brain damage may be more aware of their surroundings than doctors previously thought.
Schiavo, 41, has been in what some doctors say is a persistent vegetative state since a 1990 heart attack. She can breathe on her own but cannot feed herself or communicate.
Her husband, Michael Schiavo, says his wife would not want to continue living in her condition and wants permission to remove her feeding tube.
The Schindlers say their daughter responds to them and should be given treatment.
The case has pitted right-to-life groups against advocates for the right to die and civil libertarians and become a rallying point for Christian evangelicals as well as advocates for the disabled.
Schiavo's feeding tube was removed in October 2003, but the Florida Legislature passed a special law giving Gov. Jeb Bush, brother of President Bush, authority to have it reinserted. The Florida Supreme Court ruled last year the law was unconstitutional.
"Terri deserves to get these tests. Terri is alert, she's aware. She deserves a chance," Schindler told a news conference at the Pinellas County Courthouse with his wife, Mary, at his side.
He also cited the case of Sara Scantlin, a Kansas woman who recently began talking for the first time since an accident 20 years ago.
David Gibbs, the attorney for the parents, said he would file a court motion on Monday asking for new medical tests.
"Any action to end Terri's life would be totally premature," Gibbs said.
A stay blocking Michael Schiavo from removing his wife's feeding tube might be lifted as early as next Tuesday and Robert and Mary Schindler have recruited prominent anti-abortion activist Randall Terry to organize protests at the White House and in the Florida state capital, Tallahassee.
Gibbs said he would seek to have the stay extended and pursue other motions to keep Schiavo alive. Those include trying to replace Michael Schiavo as his wife's guardian.
Related:
Brain-damaged patients are aware of surroundings, study suggests
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0208awareness08.html
Brain Damaged Woman Speaks after 20 Years
http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0035531.cfm