In the 20 years since the death of Terri Schiavo, pro-life advocates of severely disabled or end-of-life patients have not had the kinds of significant culture-war victories that the anti-abortion movement has won in recent years. Instead, Christian bioethicists and activists fear there’s been a lack of progress, or even lost ground, in medical care for vulnerable patients in dire cases. 

Schiavo’s case, which shook the nation in the mid-2000s, was a rare moment when the debate over when to remove artificial means of life support drew worldwide attention.