May she rest in peace.

From CNN.com

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Terri Schiavo, the 41-year-old brain-damaged woman who became the centerpiece of a national right-to-die battle died Thursday morning, nearly two weeks after doctors removed the feeding tube that had sustained her for more than a decade.

Brother Paul O'Donnell, a spokesman for Bob and Mary Schindler, Schiavo's parents, said the couple was with their daughter's body and praying.

Wednesday, the Schindlers lost what their lawyer described as their "last meaningful legal appeal" in their desperate battle to have their brain-damaged daughter's feeding tube reinserted.

The U.S. Supreme Court late Wednesday refused once again to hear an emergency appeal from the Schindlers.

Their lawyer, David Gibbs, heard the high court had rejected the appeal during a news conference outside the Pinellas Park, Florida, hospice where Schiavo is receiving care.

"It appears that that will be the last meaningful legal appeal unless something comes up," Gibbs said. "Fundamentally, the decision of the Florida courts will remain unchanged and the federal courts have declined to get involved."

Thursday morning, O' Donnell said that Schiavo was in her final hours of life, and police have prohibited her blood relatives from spending time with her.

O'Donnell, one of the family's spiritual advisers, said that her parents and siblings were "begging to be at her bedside...but are being denied."

Michael Schiavo was Terri's guardian and controlled who may visit her and when.

Pasco-Pinellas Circuit Judge George Greer in Clearwater, Florida, ordered the feeding tube removed March 18 at Michael Schiavo's request. He has said that his wife wouldn't have wanted to live in her condition -- what Florida courts have deemed a "persistent vegetative state."

The parents felt otherwise and had sought to take guardianship of their daughter from her husband. Their bitter court battles began in 1998.

"I don't understand why Michael Schiavo at some point didn't walk away," Gibbs said.

Justice Anthony Kennedy, who has jurisdiction over Florida, Georgia and Alabama, and could have ruled on the petition on his own, referred the appeal to the entire Supreme Court at 10:40 p.m. Wednesday.

There was no breakdown of the vote, and the high court issued no explanation for its decision. The petition had been filed earlier in the night.

It was the second time in a week the high court refused to hear the case, and the sixth time since 2001.

The Schindlers "can know they have done everything possible under the law in letting government know that they wanted to fight for the life of their daughter," Gibbs said.

In his Supreme Court filing, Gibbs and other lawyers for the parents wrote that removing the tube represented "an unconstitutional deprivation of Terri Schiavo's constitutional right to life."

The Supreme Court's rejection came hours after the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Georgia, rejected the parents' petition 9-2. That court denied three similar requests from the parents last week.

In a concurring opinion of the Atlanta court's latest ruling, Judge Stanley Birch said Congress "chose to overstep constitutional boundaries" by passing a law to force the Schiavo case into federal courts.

Judges Gerald Tjoflat and Charles Wilson dissented, with Tjoflat writing that the Schindlers deserved a hearing on the merits of their argument.

On March 21, three days after Schiavo's feeding tube was removed, Congress passed a bill transferring jurisdiction of the case from Florida state court to a U.S. District Court, for a federal judge to review. President Bush signed it into law the next day. But federal courts refused to overturn the state courts' decision.

2002 videotapes released
The Pinellas County Probate Court has released nine of 11 videotapes of Terri Schiavo recorded in the summer of 2002 and shown in a Florida appeals court hearing on her medical condition.

The videos show several doctors talking to and examining Schiavo to get ready for their court testimony. The tapes were recorded from July to September 2002.

Family members, including her mother and husband, also appear in the video.

Two of the 11 tapes remain sealed by the court, but it was unclear why.

In October 2002, Florida's 2nd District Court of Appeal heard a week of testimony from five doctors who examined her, including two picked by Michael Schiavo, two by her parents and one picked by the court.

Three doctors, including one appointed by the court, testified that Terri Schiavo was in a persistent vegetative state with no hope of recovery. The two doctors selected by the Schindlers testified they thought she could recover.

The appellate court concurred with a lower court decision that Schiavo had no hope of recovery and that her feeding tube could be removed.

Terri Schiavo collapsed in her home in 1990, suffering from heart failure that led to severe brain damage because of lack of oxygen.

Her husband has said she suffered from bulimia, an eating disorder, that resulted in a potassium deficiency that triggered the heart failure.

That's fucking wrong. Her husband needs to burn in hell.

Rest In Peace
Terry

The end of a very sad episode.

I could understand the husband's position, yet I could also understand her parents' hopes to keep her alive. It bothered me to watch, and read, the news reports of their fighting over Terri's future.

R.I.P., Terri

R.i.p. mrs.Schiavo

Now she can finally rest in peace. God bless!


Don Cardi

Rest in peace, Terri.

IMHO, if they would've talked about "pulling the plug" (for lack of a better term) 10 years ago or whenever she'd first lapsed into a debilitating coma, I would've thought, "Yeah, that would be humane enough." But to let a person starve to death? I'm sorry, but that's just wrong. I've got mixed emotions about the whole euthanasia thing.

At any rate, it did sicken me to see what a circus was made out of it (by folks on both sides of the issue. But at least, hopefully, Terri's in a better place.

God I'm glad this story is over. It was just horrible to watch and read about. I feel so bad for her parents; what a horrendous way to die.

I'll be curious to see how long before someone charges the husband and judge with murder.

A baby can't feed itself.

Science has developed innumberable ways to keep people alive and prolong life; organ transplants, bypass surgery, etc. We condone and support these methods of prolonging life. A feeding tube is no different. How do we know what spark of life, happiness or comfort was in Terri Schiavo's brain. Any God's out there? Apparently there are some in Florida.

Good, she's now left this damn circus that they made of her. Now I guess the media moving on to the next feeding tube patient. The Pope. They never stop.

Nah, the Vatican will never let the Pope go.

Really, he is arguably the greatest Pontiff in that church's history(assumingly excluding the first Pope himself, Peter(or was it Paul?)), or at least of this century.

Still, when he got elected, he was the first non-Italian Pope in many centuries(and coming from a Soviet-controlled Sphere of Influence nation!)

Anyway, I'm glad this Schiavo Circus has finally pulled the Big Top down. Now back to the mayhem and destruction over in Iraq....

While Michael Schiavo's legal rights as Terri's husband cannot be disputed - I think it was particularly mean & nasty of him to give so little consideration to her parents even during these last few weeks. I have heard that he will not even release her body to them for burial, but has planned cremation because (again), "...Terri told me that's what she wanted..."

Now that this is over, M. Schiavo has a brand new family to turn to, and the Schindlers have lost a child that they had been willing to care for, brain damaged or not.

I agree - he should burn in hell. Someday.

I hope they're waiting for him down there

Apple

Ummm, isn't The Lord supposed to decide who goes to Hell?

Really, its quite pretentious for many to automatically judge when they don't have the Theological Constitutional Judicial rights to do so.

I am so very sad for all concerned. I hope that they all are able to get some peace soon, after all the turmoil they have experienced. God bless Terry and all of those that loved her.

Dear ronnierocketAGO:

We are not 'deciding' that M. Schiavo will go to Hell. We are simply stating that that is what we feel he deserves. Of course, the ultimate decision is out of our hands, but we're entitled to our opinions, as are you.

I think it's '...quite pretentious...' of you to '...automatically judge...' your listmates when you don't have the '...Theological Constitutional Judicial rights to do so...'

AppleOnYa

Apple,

I hope he gets a HELL room with some of those serial killers and child molesters.....and throw in a couple of Bin Ladens' boys.

Damn, you're giving Veggie-Girl's hubby too much credit.

Really, that Hell Room reservation should go to like Milosevich...oh right, most of you wouldn't remember that Fat Slav.

Anyway AppleOnYa, you seemed confused about the Theocratical Christian Constitution. Check it out on the internet sometime, and then preach to me about how the "Seperation of Powers" actually work between the branches of this spiritual government that is God, Jesus, Mankind, the Universe, the Hell, etc.

P.S. - Sorry for the Veggie-Girl label, but Bedsore Betty, Brocoli Barbie, etc. just didn't fit. Have a Nice Day!

for all those who feal that the husband who had to make a difficult choice should be sent to hell for his actions, answer me this...

If you husband, wife, fiance, girlfriend, father, mother was in the same state as Terri, wouldnt you pull the plug. I have serious doubt if my fiance was stuck in a vegitative state for 15 years i wouldnt want to move on, even if i still loved her.

What the hell?

RIP Terri

SNAKE - hey its been a long time dude!

I agree - she is in a better place. What I do not think her husband realizes is that in this life what goes around - comes around. The good and the evil that we send out will come back again - I hope he is ready to handle it!

RIP.... I hope shes in peace now!

I don't pretend to know anything about it, ronnieboy. It's your preaching to members of this list about 'the Lord' and being judgemental that was the main subject of my response.

So get off your high and act like a human being, you sanctimonious . Unless you enjoy being a member of the Michael Schiavo fan club.

Best,
AppleOnYa

ps - thanks though, for providing me the opportunity to have some graemlin fun!!

I know 13 days is a long time, but I would have thought someone would be able to live longer.

Don Provalone! Good to see you, too, m' friend! It's nice to have another voice of sanity around here!

Did anyone hear that the husband did not let the mother and father be in the roon while she died?

The husband's lawyer tried to make it clear in his press conference 'statement' that the parents chose not to be there (which I find odd) - but that Terri's brother was present and (according to lawyer) put up some kind of a fuss when he was asked to leave Terri's room.

Interesting how even now after her death...Mr. Schiavo's side seems intent on showing Terri's family in a negative light.

Apple

I hope she finally finds peace. May God be with her family and friends who loved her. RIP

I wonder how long it will take her husband to marry this woman he is with now that Terri passed on? I feel no sympathy for him at all.

"I don't pretend to know anything about it, ronnieboy. It's your preaching to members of this list about 'the Lord' and being judgemental that was the main subject of my response.

So get off your high and act like a human being, you sanctimonious . Unless you enjoy being a member of the Michael Schiavo fan club.

Best,
AppleOnYa

ps - thanks though, for providing me the opportunity to have some graemlin fun!!"
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So I take it you didn't read the Constitution.

Speaking of which, you admit to having naughty fun caused indirectly by the death by the newest religious superstar, Veggie-Girl?

What Would Jesus NOT Do?

So anyway, who's seen that SOUTH PARK episode that mocked this over-dragged non-national issue?

"If we don't get the feeding tube re-instated, Heaven will have its Keanu Reeves!"

RIP.