Terri Schiavo: 15 years of questions and uncertainty
Terri Schiavo
In
February 1990, cardiac arrest deprived Terri Schiavo of oxygen
to her brain for five minutes - five minutes that have led
to years of emotional distress and legal battles.
There was initial hope for recovery, but there came a point at
which the views of Terri's future diverged. In 1998, her husband,
Michael Schiavo,
filed the first petition to remove Terri's feeding tube and allow
her to die. Since then, Terri's future has been fought over in
the courts until
a judge once again ordered the feeding tube removed Oct. 15,
2003. Legal avenues exhausted, Bob and Mary Schindler, Terri's
parents, turned to the
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and then to the Florida legislature, which
passed a bill allowing the governor to order Terri Schiavo's
feeding tube be reinserted.
Find links to our recent coverage below, including stories from our news pages and commentary from our columnists. Click here for links to Times coverage beginning in 2000.
The lost lesson of Terri Schiavo In November 1992, a jury in Clearwater returned a verdict in favor of Terri and Michael Schiavo for more than $6.8-million.
How the story began Here are some highlights from the Times when the Terri Schiavo story came into focus.
Jan. 25, 2000 Deciding the fate of Terri When Michael Schiavo decided to take his comatose wife off life support, her parents saw things differently.
Jan. 28, 2000 Family says marriage unhappy before coma
As Terri Schiavo lay in a coma, her family and friends testified in court this week that she had grown frustrated with her husband in the months before her 1990 accident and considered divorce.
Jan. 30, 2000
Mary Jo Melone: The doubts shaping life, death decision
Terri Schiavo's story is terrible to contemplate. A family divided
It was Valentine's Day 1993, and Michael Schiavo planned on an evening of dinner and dancing with his in-laws.
Feb. 11, 2000 Motion seeks say in fate of woman A group of doctors, lawyers and other professionals want a judge to allow a 36-year-old St. Petersburg woman with brain damage to continue being fed through a tube despite her husband's request to let her die. Judge rejects intervention of group in Schiavo case Pinellas Circuit Judge George Greer will not allow a group of doctors, lawyers and other professionals to intervene in the case of a St. Petersburg woman with brain damage whose family is divided on whether to remove her feeding tube.
Feb. 12, 2000 Judge: Schiavo's life can end Her shocked parents plan to appeal the decision allowing the removal of her feeding tube. The judge, like her husband, says that is what she would have wanted.
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Oct. 21, 2003 House votes to save Schiavo
The Florida House passes a measure that gives Gov. Bush power to issue a "one-time stay.'' Senate takes it up today.
Oct. 18, 2003 Effort to intervene for Schiavo falls short
A judge won't compel the governor to get involved, leaving Terri Schiavo's parents with no apparent place to turn.
Oct. 17, 2003 Schiavo's supporters push Bush to intervene
The governor says he's troubled by the brain-damaged woman's situation, but it's unclear if he has the legal right to get involved.
Oct. 15, 2003 Schiavo's family ends legal fight
An attorney for Terri Schiavo's parents says they are out of options and must face the removal of her feeding tube today. "It's in other hands now."
Oct. 11, 2003 Decision increases deadline urgency
A federal judge won't block the removal of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube. Her parents will fight as Wednesday draws near.
Sept. 29, 2003 Feeding tube case inflames emotions
As the date gets closer for disconnecting Terri Schiavo, testy messages are reaching those associated with the case.
Sept. 18, 2003 Judge sets new date to remove food tube
Terri Schiavo would die a week or two after Oct. 15. Her parents vow to keep fighting in a case that has raged for nearly six years.
Sept. 16, 2003 Schiavo parents request delay
The family thinks speech therapy will increase Terri Schiavo's chances of surviving without a feeding tube
Sept. 3, 2003 Schiavo's parents rebuffed by judge
A federal judge tells Terri Schiavo's mother and father to refile for a restraining order to keep her on a feeding tube.
Aug. 27, 2003 Bush weighs in on Schiavo
How about a guardian for the brain-damaged woman? The judge in the right-to-die case respectfully declines.
Aug. 22, 2003 Schiavo's parents ask for priest's visits
CLEARWATER - The parents of brain-damaged Terri Schiavo asked a judge Thursday to force the woman's husband to allow a priest at her bedside.
June 7, 2003 Appeals court again rejects pleas to save woman
Terri Schiavo's parents once again are left to ponder a new strategy in the quest to keep their daughter from having her feeding tube removed.
Nov. 23, 2002 Judge: Schiavo can't recover
The brain-damaged woman's feeding tube will be removed Jan. 3, the ruling states. Her parents vow to appeal the decision.
Video links: Excerpts from the Terri Schiavo videotapes on record at the Pinellas County Courthouse:
