By Susan Jones
CNSNews.com Morning Editor
February 23, 2005


Pro-life groups are urging Americans to quickly and
loudly express their outrage over the imminent starvation death of a
brain-damaged woman in Florida. While some of those groups are
focusing on life-and-death aspects of the case, one organization
sees it as a battle against "out-of-control judges and greedy
lawyers."

Terri Schindler Schiavo's husband wants to remove her feeding tube
-- something Terri would have wanted, he has insisted for years. But
Terri's parents are pleading for the right to care for Terri; they
want Michael Schiavo to divorce her and turn over guardianship to
them.

On Tuesday, each side won a temporary victory: A Florida appeals
court cleared the way for Michael Schiavo to disconnect Terri's
feeding tube, but before that could happen, a Pinellas Circuirt
Court Judge George Greer issued an emergency stay, which expires at
5 p.m. on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Judge Greer is expected to consider the Schindler's
arguments that Michael Schiavo is unfit to be his wife's guardian,
wire reports said.

And with time running out, it's what happens next that concerns some
activists:

A conservative group called Right March says it is "out-of-control
judges and greedy lawyers" who want to kill Terri.

"She's not brain dead, nor in a coma, nor on any life support
system; she is simply severely handicapped. She laughs and cries and
tries to talk with her parents. And the judges and lawyers want to
kill her," Right March said in a statement on its website.

The group is urging concerned Americans to take action, not just for
Terri's sake but for the sake of the rule of law:

"In the big picture, this battle could be a key turning point in
ending the rule of judicial dictators in our country," Right March
said. "If we as citizens will denounce this oppression, and Gov.
Bush and the Florida legislature will again stand against these
judicial tyrants, it could be a key moment in our history as a
nation.

"We could look back and see that this was a key battle in restoring
the rule of law and the right of self-government in America; that it
was a team battle in breaking the stranglehold that the courts have
on our lives, our laws, and our liberties."

Right March is urging Americans to petition Florida "to stand
against judicial tyranny and act on Terri's behalf."

Moral test

A prolife group, Operation Save America/Operation Rescue, said
America runs the risk of failing a moral test if Terri is allowed to
starve.

"America, we were once a country that would run to defend the weak.
We are defending the rights of innocent people in Iraq -- what has
happened to us that we cannot defend the disabled in our own land?"
asked the Rev. Flip Benham, Operation Rescue's national director.

He noted that "pagan institutions have always paved the way for the
mass slaughter of the weak," and he mentioned Fascism, Nazism,
Communism, and even Islamic terrorist organizations.

"America, will you just stand by or will you intervene for Terri?"
Benham asked in a press release.

The American Life League says if Terri's feeding tube is removed, it
will happen against the wishes of her parents and thousands of
people who want to save Terri's life.

ALL notes that Pope John Paul II has mentioned the immorality of
killing a human being by withholding food and water.

The American Center for Law and Justice, which represents Terri's
parents, says the decision to remove Terri's feeding tube is
"wrong," especially given new medical evidence suggesting that
patients like Terri do respond and are more aware of their
surroundings than previously thought.

"We are examining all legal options available -- including returning
to the U.S. Supreme Court once again on behalf of Terri's parents,"
the ACLJ said in a press release.

Last month, the Supreme Court refused to reverse a lower-court
decision declaring "Terri's Law" unconstitutional. That law, passed
by the Florida Legislature two years ago, gave Florida Gov. Jeb Bush
the authority to order that Terri's feeding and hydration tube be
reconnected, after a Florida court allowed them to be removed.

Terri's parents and legal team insist that Terri is not in a
"persistent vegetative state," as her husband alleges. They also
insist that her condition is not terminal or untreatable -- and that
she is aware of her surroundings and does not want to die.