Protests to Keep Terri Schiavo Alive Continue
Protests to keep Terri Schiavo alive continued across the nation at the eve of Passion Week as pro-life and Christian supporters urged lawmakers, Florida Governor Jeb Bush and the courts to give Terri her right-to-life.
Over the weekend, protestors lined the streets outside of the Tallahassee Capitol Plaza, the Woodside Hospice where Terri resides, and the home of Michael Schiavo, to voice their opposition to Friday’s removal of Terri’s feeding tube.
Thousands more called the U.S. House and Senate to step in and pass a law that would keep Terri alive. Over the last week, the two congressional chambers passed separate bills that would give Terri’s parents the right to appear before a federal judge. However, the Senate and House could not agree on the influence of the measure – the Senate passed a bill that applies only to the Schiavo case while the House passed a bill that would apply to all incapacitated persons in Schiavo’s situation.
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However, with Terri’s tube removed Friday afternoon, the two chambers agreed on a compromised bill similar to the one passed by the Senate, over the weekend. Senate members passed “Terri’s Law II” with a voice vote on Sunday; House members passed the bill early Monday in an emergency session.
President Bush signed the bill an hour later, after rushing back to the White House specifically for the cause.
"In cases like this one, where there are serious questions and substantial doubts, our society, our laws and our courts should have a presumption in favor of life," President Bush said in a statement after signing the bill.
Terri’s fate now lies in the hands of the federal court. The attorney for Terri’s parents arrived filed a request for an emergency injunction to keep Terri fed.
When the attorney, David Gibbs II, was asked by the Associated Press if he had any indication of when the judge would rule on the request, he answered: "I have no way to know, just that it's in the hands of the court."
