Life Matters!

As posted by CURE advisor Fr. Rob Johansen on Thrownback:

As many of you already no doubt know, [Monday] the U.S. Supreme Court declared that it would not hear Florida governor Jeb Bush's appeal on behalf of Terri's Law, the law which enabled him to intervene to save Terri's life.

This is without doubt a setback for the Schindlers, and this pretty well spells the end for Terri's Law. I can't say I'm very surprised, as I always thought it was unlikely that the U.S. Supreme Court would involve itself in a question regarding Florida state law.

While the decision is a setback and disappointment, this is not the end of the road. It's not time to start panicking yet.

As the Schindlers point out at Terri's Fight, there are still other matters pending in the courts which could be the means of saving Terri's life.

There are three cases pending:

1. A petition pending in the Second District Court of Appeals in Lakeland, FL, regarding Terri's right to the free exercise of her religion, rights which the Schindler's attorneys believe have been violated.



2. On Friday, January 28, in the Probate Court in Clearwater, FL, Judge Greer will hear the Schindler's motion to protect their daughter's due process rights.



3. A petition is before Judge Greer to remove Michael as Terri's guardian and to replace him with Terri's brother and sister, Bobby Jr. and Suzanne. They believe that Michael's numerous conflicts of interest with his ward, Terri, disqualify him from continuing as her guardian.

So we need to keep praying (especially about the hearing on Friday), and keep fighting!

I've been trying to reach the Schindlers since [Monday] afternoon, but they've been swamped with calls and e-mails so I haven't spoken to them yet. As soon as I talk to them and have more information, I'll post an update.

Editor's Note:

Any updates posted by Fr. Johansen will be crossposted on Life Matters! as customary. Further information, as always, can be found at the Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation, which featured in our right nav bar under "Life Lines" and which we urge our readers to visit regularly for the latest developments.