Schiavo starting to starve

2005-03-25 07:39

Pinellas Park, Florida - Terri Schiavo, the severely brain-damaged Florida woman at the centre of a heated right-to-life case, began her first week without food or drink on Thursday and is showing signs of severe malnutrition, according to members of her family.

Terri Schiavo's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, say their daughter, 41, has a chance of a partial recovery if given the proper therapy even though she has been in a persistent vegetative state for the past 15 years.

However Michael Schiavo, Terri's legal guardian, said his wife would never want to live severely disabled and had her feeding tube withdrawn last week.

The Schindlers were dealt two legal setbacks on Thursday, first when the US Supreme Court refused to hear a case seeking the reinserting of their daughter's feeding tube, and then when a Florida state court refused a request by state authorities to take her into state custody.

"Her condition is weakening. Her mother felt physically ill and had to leave the room. Her voice can barely be heard," said Randall Terry, a spokesperson for the family, in a press conference in front of the hospice where Terri Schiavo is staying.

With virtually all the legal avenues exhausted, "the family hopes at this time rest squarely on (Florida) Governor (Jeb) Bush."

Family wants governor's help

The family wants the governor, brother of US President George Bush, to order the feeding tube reinserted by decree.

After the Supreme Court in Washington rejected an appeal to order Schiavo's feeding resumed, the crowd gathered outside her hospice was dismayed at the possibility of her imminent death.

"They're doing this to her on Good Thursday!" gasped David Vogel, 47, who described himself as a Christian musician from the midwestern state of Ohio, commenting on the Supreme Court decision.

"We're very sad and I guess the only option we have left is to pray that the Lord will inspire Governor Bush," said Ed Martin, a Florida clergyman.

"I mean, this is Holy Week and Governor Bush is a Catholic, so he has to come down and save this lady," said Martin.

David Safford, who travelled 2 414km from the northern state of Wisconsin to demonstrate support for Schiavo, condemned the courts for their decisions.

"There is a higher court than the Supreme Court of the United States, and if anybody doesn't believe in it, it is too bad because all of us will be judged by the creator of this universe."

Protesters read bibles and prayed for a miracle under signs that read "Stop Killing," "Auschwitz, USA" and "I'm a paraplegic. Who will feed me?"

Supporters outside Schiavo's hospice compared her plight to that of Jesus, who they said was likewise condemned to death by an unjust court and suffered the denial of water before being crucified.

The Schindlers' appeal to the Florida state legislature to intervene was also rejected on Wednesday, despite political support.

- AFP