TAMPA - Spurred by the Terri Schiavo case, a national right-to-die group launched a public relations campaign in Florida this week to raise awareness of end-of-life choices, including the importance of living wills.
The $60,000 campaign by the Denver-based End of Life Choices - formerly the Hemlock Society - includes newspaper ads in Tallahassee, Orlando, Tampa and Miami, and speeches throughout the state by organization officials.
"As we sit back and take a look at this tragic tug of war over Terri Schiavo, we have definitely detected ... a teachable moment for Floridians and the rest of the country," the group's CEO, David Brand, said Tuesday.
Brand said the case of the severely brain-damaged woman should serve as a "wake-up call" for those who do not have advance directives and are not aware of the laws governing end-of-life decisions in their states.
"Today's headlines are full of the pain of unspoken wishes," one newspaper ad says. "Save your loved ones the anguish of making a difficult decision when you are unable to speak for yourself."
Schiavo is at the center of a court battle involving her husband, her parents and the state over whether her feeding tube should be removed so she can die.
She was left in what doctors call a persistent vegetative state after her heart stopped suddenly in 1990. Her husband, Michael Schiavo, says she once stated her wishes not to be kept alive artificially. Her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, believing that her condition could improve, want her kept alive. She left no advance written directive.
Florida courts have affirmed Michael Schiavo's legal right to remove the feeding tube, and he did so Oct. 15. Six days later the Florida Legislature intervened, passing a law allowing Gov. Jeb Bush to order the tube reinserted - a move Michael Schiavo contends was unconstitutional.
Brand said his group takes no position on whether the feeding tube should be removed. "What we simply want to do is allow for every individual the right to have choices and have their choices known and honored," he said.
