Parents of Terri Schindler-Schiavo Told to Pay to See Their Daughter

Clearwater, FL May 7, 2004:  - In yet another bizarre twist of the Terri Schindler-Schiavo case, the Schindler family was informed that they must now pay a fee for “security” each time that they want to visit their daughter.

On Wednesday, May 5, 2004, Deborah Bushnell of Dunedin, an attorney representing Michael Schiavo, faxed a letter to attorneys representing the parents of Terri Schindler-Schiavo.

In her communication, Ms. Bushnell recommended that Ms. Schiavo's parents could be permitted to visit their disabled daughter if they would agree to hire an off-duty police person to accompany them. This comes after attorney Patricia Anderson, who represents Ms. Schiavo's parents, filed a Writ of Quo Warranto, demanding that Mr. Schiavo demonstrate what authority he has to deny his wife visits from her immediate family.  Should the Schindlers fail to pay, they would be denied visitation rights.

Ms. Schiavo currently has an off-duty police person, paid for by Hospice of the Florida Suncoast, assigned to her on a 24 hour a day basis. Additionally, the Schindlers have reported that, during their visits, nursing staff frequently enter their daughter's room.

Ms. Schiavo's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, have not been permitted to visit her since March 29, 2004 (39 days), when attorney George Felos of Dunedin issued a press release stating that suspicious marks were found on her arm. A toxicology study conducted on Ms. Schiavo concluded that no unauthorized chemicals were found in her system. Ms. Schiavo's parents, along with her siblings, had attempted to visit her the following day at Park Place Assisted Living and were turned away by nursing staff in compliance with "Mr. Schiavo's orders".

Statement of Attorney Patricia Anderson:
"By recommending that the financially-strapped Schindlers may only visit Terri if they pay yet another off-duty police person to accompany them, is an effort to inhibit them from freely seeing their own daughter. A couple of years ago, Michael Schiavo contacted Terri's parents and offered to give the balance of Terri's money over to charity. He and his attorneys used this a talking point for the media - claiming that Michael had no financial interest in Terri's death. What they neglected to mention was that that particular offer was predicated upon the Schindler's agreeing to Terri's dehydration and starvation death.

This latest tactic from Ms. Bushnell is really no different.  I will not be surprised if Ms. Bushnell uses this as another talking point with the media in an attempt to make her and her client appear less cruel.

No mother should have to pay an admission fee to see her child on Mother's Day. Perhaps Ms. Bushnell has forgotten how most people spend Mother's Day."

A press release from the Terri’s Fight website   http://www.terrisfight.org/press/050704.html

 “Terri’s Law” Overturned

A Florida court has overturned 'Terri's law', which allowed Governor Jeb Bush to order the reinsertion of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube, Reuters reports. Terri Schiavo, who has been in a coma-like state since her mysterious collapse in 1990, is at the centre of a bitter legal dispute between her husband, who claims she would not want to be kept alive in such a condition, and her parents, who believe she should be given food and fluids and that her condition could improve with therapy.   [Reuters, 6 May, according to SPUC]

Governor Bush immediately had an appeal filed help ensure that the feeding tube will not be immediately removed.  It will stay in place until there is a ruling on the appeal unless a judge allows the husband to proceed with removing it between now and them.

www.spuc.org.uk

Updated May 7, 2004

Updated on RARTL May 2004