Supreme Court declines to act in case of brain-damaged Florida woman

Published: 2005-01-24

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to review a lower court decision overturning the Florida law that allowed Gov. Jeb Bush to order reinsertion of a feeding tube for Terri Schindler Schiavo, who is brain-damaged. The decision, issued without comment Jan. 24, moved forward the efforts of Schiavo's husband, Michael, to remove her feeding tube again, although other court actions initiated by the woman's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, continue. "What they've done here today is incredible. It's judicial homicide," said Bob Schindler of the Supreme Court. He was attending the March for Life in Washington. Brother Paul O'Donnell, a member of the Franciscan Brothers for Peace, also addressed the pre-march rally, saying, "Terri Schiavo has a right to life. Today is not the final word." Schiavo, 40, has been impaired for the past 14 years. She can breathe on her own but requires nutrition and hydration through a feeding tube.

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