| State supreme court takes
Schiavo case (under a contentious heading: Watercooler Stories)
(Note: You should be quick to let UPI know how you feel about its continued FALSE statements about Terri's condition and her original accident injuries. Contact information is provided for you. A very good article immediately follows below.) June 17, 2004 UPI (United Press International) World
Headquarters 1510 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 USA
Fax: 1-202-898-8057 To submit a Letter to the Editor: tips@upi.com Tallahassee, Florida - The Florida Supreme Court has agreed to consider the constitutionality of a law that extended the life of Terri Schiavo of Tampa, Fla. Lower court rulings have determined Schiavo, 40, has been in a permanent vegetative state for 14 years. Her parents are fighting to save her life while her husband is trying to remove her feeding tube. Michael Schiavo last October had the tube removed with the permission of the courts, but the Legislature passed a law allowing Governor Jeb Bush to order it reinserted. The constitutionality of that law has been challenged and a petition to have it thrown out was upheld in a lower court and -- skipping a lower appeals court -- has now gone to the high court, the St. Petersburg Times reported Thursday. George Felos, attorney for Michael Schiavo, said the Supreme Court can bypass lower appeals courts on issues of importance that require immediate resolution. Terri Schiavo lost consciousness when she suffered cardiac arrest in 1990. http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040617-063032-9886r.htm Another article, much, MUCH better and accurately written! Terri Schiavo's Law Will Get Florida Supreme Court Hearing
June 17, 2004 By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com Tallahassee, Florida (LifeNews.com) - The Florida Supreme Court voted
4-3 yesterday to hear the lawsuit over Terri's Law, which allowed
Florida Governor Jeb Bush to ask doctors to reinsert the feeding tube
that is helping Terri stay alive. If the law is struck down, Michael has the right to end Terri's life. Oral arguments in the case have been set for August 31. Earlier this month, the Florida 2nd District Court of Appeal approved a motion put forward by George Felos, the euthanasia advocate who is Michael's lawyer, asking the appeals court to let the Florida Supreme Court decide the case. "They [the court] recognize this is a case that affects the lives of many Floridians; it needs immediate resolution," Felos told the St. Petersburg Times newspaper. Attorneys for Governor Bush, a Republican, had hoped to keep the case of out the state's high court. They were hoping the issue of whether Michael should have the authority to speak for Terri would be resolved first. "We look forward to making our case to the Supreme Court about why the Legislature and the governor should partner with the courts in protecting our most vulnerable citizens," said Bush spokesman Jacob DiPietre. Governor Bush has said that Michael's interests may conflict with Terri's, implying it may be appropriate to appoint a new guardian on her behalf. Terri's family points to Michael's failing to comply with a court order requiring him to file medical care and treatment plans for Terri annually as he is required. Several of Terri's teeth have been removed as a result of medical neglect. Michael claims Terri, who collapsed under suspicious circumstances in 1990, would not want to stay alive. But Governor Bush and Terri's family say that's not the case. They contend she would have wanted appropriate medical treatment and rehabilitation that has been denied to her almost the entire time since her collapse. Last August, the Florida Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal filed by Terri's family of a local judge's order allowing Michael to remove Terri's feeding tube. The one page order handed down by the court said "no basis for
jurisdiction exists'' in the case and no motion for reconsideration
would be allowed. All seven justices signed the order.
http://www.PropertyRightsResearch.org/articles4/TerriFrms.htm |