Court Won't Block Feeding Tube Removal
Article by the Associated PressTampa, FL - A state appeals court refused Wednesday to block the removal of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube, ending another battle in the long-running right-to-die legal fight between the woman's husband and her parents.
The 2nd District Court of Appeal in Lakeland turned down parents Bob and Mary Schindler on two key issues, leaving intact the scheduled Friday removal of the feeding tube.
The court refused to overrule Pinellas Circuit Court Judge George Greer's denial of a stay while the parents pursued further appeals in the case.
The court also declined to order a new trial, which the parents claimed was necessary because Terri Schiavo had not been given an independent attorney to represent her interests.
Schiavo, 41, has been at the center of a long-running legal battle between her husband, Michael, and parents.
She suffered severe brain damage in 1990 when her heart stopped beating and oxygen was cut off to her brain. Doctors have ruled she is in a persistent vegetative state and Michael Schiavo has said his wife would not want to be kept alive artificially with no hope for recovery.
Her parents dispute that she has no mental cognition and say their daughter responds to them with laughter, smiles and tears.
Greer has granted Michael Schiavo permission to remove his wife's feeding tube at 2 p.m. ET Friday.