Read the Chronology of events in Terri Schiavo Case
Read the News article history of Terri Schiavo Case
ASSOCIATED PRESS (Tuesday, August 07, 2001)
FLA. JUDGE: WITHDRAW LIFE SUPPORT
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- A judge has again ordered that a comatose woman's feedings be stopped, siding against her parents and in favor of the husband who believes she should be allowed to die.
The ruling by Pinellas Probate Court Judge George Greer instructs Michael Schiavo to tell hospice workers to end his wife's artificial feedings on Aug. 28. Terri Schiavo then would starve to death over a two-week period.
Her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, are seeking to keep their daughter alive and can file an appeal with the Second District Court of Appeal in Lakeland.
Also, both sides will be back in court Thursday for a hearing on the parents' recent lawsuit against Michael Schiavo. The parents will ask a separate judge to make sure that Terri Schiavo is kept alive while the suit is pending.
Tuesday's ruling ``came as a shock to us,'' said George Felos, Michael Schiavo's attorney. ``We didn't know an order was being entered. My client was completely take aback.''
The Schindlers' attorneys were not immediately available for comment. Mary Schindler said the family has not had a chance to discuss the order and declined comment until later this week.
Terri Schiavo, 37, has been in a coma for more than 11 years after suffering a heart attack. She left no written instructions on her wishes, but her husband maintains she never would have wanted to be kept on life support.
In April, Greer ordered her feedings stopped after a court battle that ended with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy declining to accept the case.
Days later, however, the woman's parents filed the new lawsuit accusing Michael Schiavo of lying about his wife's wishes because he wanted to collect her inheritance and marry another woman.
The appeals court ordered the feeding tube reconnected, pending Greer's reconsideration of the case.
In Tuesday's order, Greer said the Schindlers have shown no new evidence that would change his earlier decision that Terri Schiavo would not have wanted to be kept alive artificially and that she has no chance of recovering basic brain functions.
Read the History of this Florida Case
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-loccoma08080801aug08.story
ORLANDO SENTINEL (Tuesday, August 7, 2001)
HUSBAND CAN END FEEDINGS LET HIS WIFE DIE
By Vickie Chachere
TAMPA -- A judge ruled Tuesday that the husband of a comatose woman can withhold her life support and let her die, saying no new evidence has been presented to convince him she isn't brain dead.
The ruling by Pinellas Probate Court Judge George Greer instructs Michael Schiavo to tell hospice workers to end his wife Terri's artificial feedings at precisely 3 p.m. Aug. 28. Terri Schiavo then would starve to death over a two-week period.
It is the second such ruling Greer has issued in the long-running legal battle that has seen Terri Schiavo disconnected and reconnected to life support once before.
Terri Schiavo's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, are seeking to keep their daughter alive and can appeal Greer's decision to the Second District Court of Appeal in Lakeland.
The appeals court has already set a high standard for that appeal, saying it must be based on new issues or laws, not just the Schindlers' desire to keep their daughter alive.
"It came as a shock to us," said George Felos, Michael Schiavo's attorney. "We didn't know an order was being entered, my client was completely taken aback."
The Schindlers' attorneys were not immediately available for comment.
Terri Schiavo, 37, has been in a coma for more than 11 years after suffering a heart attack.
She left no written instructions on her wishes, but her husband maintains she never would have wanted to be kept on life support.
Doctors have testified that Terri Schiavo's brain has atrophied over the years, but her parents argue she has had no independent medical examination and say she reacts to them, smiles and cries.
The Schindlers accused Michael Schiavo in a separate lawsuit of lying about his wife's wishes so he can inherit hundreds of thousands of dollars from her and marry another woman.
The Schindlers have 30 days to appeal.
