Schiavo given Communion; hopes dim for reinserting feeding tube

Published: 2005-03-28

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. (CNS) -- As March drew to a close, death seemed imminent for severely brain-damaged Terri Schindler Schiavo as recourse to courts and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush evaporated in efforts to get her feeding tube reinserted. On Easter, nine days after the tube was removed, Schiavo was given Communion in the form of a drop of wine on her tongue at a hospice in Pinellas Park. Prior to that, state and federal courts, including the Supreme Court, refused to order the feeding tube reinserted and Bush said he could no longer intervene given the numerous state and federal court rulings. Supporters of reinserting the tube, meanwhile, held a March 28 news conference in Washington to urge President George W. Bush and Congress to take action to get the tube reinserted. The legislative and legal battles involve her husband -- who says his wife would not have wanted the feeding tube given her condition -- and her parents, who want the tube reinserted.

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