Michael Schiavo's attorneys say Terri Schiavo's parents have no standing to intervene as he fights the law prolonging her life.
By Associated Press
Published November 4, 2003
CLEARWATER - Attorneys for the husband seeking to carry out what he says is his wife's end-of-life wishes said in court papers Monday her parents shouldn't be allowed to enter the constitutional fight over the new law that is prolonging her life.
Attorneys for Michael Schiavo, whose wife, Terri, is at the center of the legal battle over whether she lives or dies, responded to legal filings seeking a judge's permission to allow Bob and Mary Schindler to become parties in the challenge of the new law.
The law allowed Gov. Jeb Bush last month to order that Terri Schiavo's feeding tube, which has kept her alive for more than a decade, be reinserted six days after her husband ordered it removed.
Michael Schiavo's attorneys said that while the Schindlers arguably had a stake in the legal battle on whether their daughter's wishes should be carried out, the legal challenge of what's been dubbed "Terri's Law" is between her husband and the governor's attorneys.
"The rights at stake in this litigation are uniquely those of Mrs. Schiavo and it is those rights that are directly affected by the challenged legislation and Governor's actions," said the legal response filed in Circuit Court. "The Schindlers' interest in continuing to pursue their belief that the prior litigation was wrongly decided simply does not meet the requisite legal standard for intervention."
Doctors and a judge have ruled that Terri Schiavo is in a persistent vegetative state with no hope for recovery. She suffered severe brain damage in 1990 when her heart stopped beating - cutting off oxygen to her brain - because of a chemical imbalance.
