WHEN TERRI SCHIAVO collapsed in 1990, causes unknown, she could have had no idea that 13 years later people the world over would know her name and care very much about whether she lived or died. Yet what began as a private tragedy–a vivacious young woman stricken in the very prime of her life with a brain injury that left her profoundly disabled–has become a story heard round the world. (see No Mercy in Florida) In case you are one of the few people who still do not know about the controversy, Terri’s husband Michael requested–and received from Judge George Greer of the 6th Circuit Court in Clearwater, Florida–the right to dehydrate Terri to death by removing her feeding tube. This despite open and notorious financial and personal conflicts of interest and acts taken in disregard of Terri’s welfare that should have caused Michael to be removed as her guardian. These conflicts include his engagement to a woman with whom he has one baby with another on the way and his refusal to allow efforts at rehabilitation that might allow her to eat without the feeding tube–all despite promises to a medical malpractice jury that he would attempt to rehabilitate her. Instead, once the jury award was received, Michael refused all rehabilitation, forcing Terri to simply lie in a bed for 10 years.

Terri’s parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, have fought for their daughter’s life tenaciously, spending virtually every dime they have. But over five years, the courts, one-by-one-by-one, turned their backs. And despite testimony by credible medical experts that Terri might still relearn to eat by mouth, Judge Greer refused to even allow her that opportunity. Terri’s feeding tube was pulled, per Judge Greer’s order, on October 15, 2003.