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Protesters gather at hospice
As Friday nears, demonstrators hold a vigil for Terri Schiavo.
By LAUREN BAYNE ANDERSON
Published March 17, 2005
PINELLAS PARK - Elementary students Allison and Hannah Amabile sat Wednesday doing their homework, their mouths sealed shut with red tape.
Allison, 10, copied math - division word problems with remainders - into her spiral notebook. Her sister Hannah, 8, began the fifth chapter of Little House in the Big Woods.
They sat in the grass facing the Woodside Hospice, where Terri Schiavo lay inside. The red tape covering their mouths was marked LIFE in black letters.
"At the Supreme Court we prayed to stop abortion so the babies would have life," said Allison. "This is pretty much like abortion for adults."
The girls, along with their parents, helped kick off a steady stream of protests and vigils as Friday approaches and Schiavo's feeding tube is scheduled to be removed. The family are members of the Cause USA, an activist group based in Washington, D.C.
They were joined Wednesday by a variety of protesters from across the country.
Wearing jeans, flowered shirts and flip-flops, the more than 30 young people with the Cause listened to headphones, wrote in their journals and read Bibles, facing the hospice. Some wore the the red tape to symbolize Schiavo's silence. Other protesters gathered in a circle, saying the Rosary. Prayer vigils, worship services and daily briefings are scheduled through Saturday.
There were about 50 people outside the Hospice Wednesday, but if the tube is removed, there will be more, promised Rev. Patrick Mahoney, with the Christian Defense Coalition.
"If it appears the tube is going to be removed, we are issuing a national call," he said.
Protesters will do everything they can to "rescue" Schiavo, he said, including going on a hunger strike. "People want to come with a cup of water and bread and say we're not leaving until my sister Terri gets a chance to eat," Mahoney said.
The Cross Bayou Elementary School near the hospice sent a letter home Wednesday outlining temporary safety procedures during the vigils, including busing bikers and walkers through any crowds and closing the campus to unauthorized people. Police will be there to direct traffic.
"We are making every effort to keep school as normal as possible with little if any disruption," wrote principal Marcia Stone.
[Last modified March 17, 2005, 01:05:07]
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