ASSOCIATED PRESS (April 12, 2001; 7:47 p.m. ET)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The parents of a woman who has been in a coma since 1990 asked the state Supreme Court on Thursday to stop her husband fromhaving her feeding tube removed.
Michael Schiavo’s request to remove his wife’sfeeding tube was granted by a Pinellas County judge in February 2000 and upheld by the appealscourt in January. He plans to have the feeding device, which has kept the woman alive, removed April 20.
In 1990, Terri Schiavo suffered a heart attack brought on by a blood disorder. Her brain was deprived of oxygen for several minutes, and she has remained in a coma.
Her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, contend their daughter would want to be kept alive and “has cognition, recognizes them and reacts to them.”
The suit also claims their son-in-law wants to inherit $700,000 from a successful malpractice suit and is engaged to another woman.
Michael Schiavo has denied financial motives, says his wife’s brain no longer functions and that she had said she would not want to be kept alive artificially.