Duc in Altum

As many of you know, the fight for Terri Schiavo's life has come to a head. Judge George Greer, who is the Florida judge in the center of this clash between the Culture of Life and the Culture of Death, has ordered that Terri Schiavo's feeding tube be removed on March 18th. He has subsequently rejected all legal attempts by Terri's parents to prevent this order from being carried out. In fact, he has denied the Florida Department of Children and Families' request for a 60 day period in which the agency could investigate the numerous claims that Ms. Schiavo has been abused.

Priests for Life continues to urge us to pray and to act on Terri's behalf. The following information about Terri's condition is provided by Priests for Life to let people know about her actual condition:

Terr Schiavo Fact Sheet
·		Today, Tern Schiavo is fighting for her life. She is not dying ... has no terminal illness ... is not in a coma ... and is not on life-support equipment.
·		She is not alone. Her loving parents and siblings are ready to care for her for the rest of her life.
·		She has not requested death.
·		She has sustained brain injuries and cannot speak or eat normally. Nevertheless, the only tube attached to her is a feeding tube that provides nourishment directly to her digestive system.
·		She tries to speak. She focuses her eyes She smiles She attempts to kiss her parents.
·		She has received no physical therapy or rehabilitation since 1991 or tests since 1993.
·		She was not been treated for life-threatening infections in 1993 and 1995.
·		Her teeth have not been cleaned sin 1995 ... five teeth were extracted in 2004.
·		She has been denied the use of a wheelchair since 2000.
·		She has been forbidden from going outdoors since 2000.
·		Terri was fraudulently placed in hospice with the false claim of terminal (six months) life expectancy since 2000.
·		She was denied the Sacrament of the Sick and the Eucharist during an execution attempt in 2003.
·		There is "exit protocol" in place for Tern at the hospice to hide evidence of her execution ... with cremation ordered immediately upon her death.
·		She is forbidden to: a) practice her faith ... no Mass, no Communion; b) attend hospice home functions; c) be photographed or videotaped to reveal her abilities
·		Her parents: a) have begged her estranged husband to let them take care of her... but he has refused; b) have been denied medical information on Terr since 1993, in violation of a court order; c) were taken off the visitor’s list for a total of eight months from 2001-04.
·		Her estranged husband Michael Schiavo, obtained a court order to euthanize Tern by starvation and dehydration in 2000 ... and Terr was forbidden her own legal representation.
·		A jury awarded him Terri’s Medical Tmst (nearly $1,000,000) because he promised to use it for Terri’s life-long rehabilitation and therapy. However, he has spent the money to pay for his attorney, George Felos - a "right to die" activist - and Felos’ partners so he can kill her.
·		He lives with another woman and has fathered at least two children since Terri’s brain injury
·		He melted down her wedding ring to make jewelry for himself
·		He killed her beloved cats ... even after Tern’s parents offered to take care of them.

There is much that can be done to help Terri. Prayer is the place to begin. The Lord told the parable of the widow and the unjust judge to demonstrate how we ought to pray. We must persist in our prayer because, unlike the unjust judge, our Lord cares about Terri Schiavo. His arm is not too short to act and save her life from those who seek to put her to death. Second, there are efforts in both the United States Congress and the Florida legislature to help Terri. For more information on how elected officials can be contacted to encourage them to help save Terri, go to Terri's Fight.