Schiavo dies, 13 days after feeding tube removed

TERRI SCHIAVO, the severely brain-damaged Florida woman who spent 15 years connected to a feeding tube in an epic legal and medical battle that went all the way to the White House and Congress, died yesterday.

This was 13 days after the tube was removed.

Ms Schiavo, 41, died at 9.05am (1.05pm Irish time) at the Pinellas Park hospice where she lay for years while her husband and her parents fought over her in what was the longest, most bitter and most heavily litigated right-to-die dispute in US history.

The Vatican last night said Ms Schiavo’s death had been a “violation of the sacred nature of life” and hoped it would lead to legal changes.

The feud between the parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, and their son-in-law continued even after her death. The Schindlers’ advisers complained that Ms Schiavo’s brother and sister had been at her bedside minutes before the end came, but were not there at the moment of her death because husband Michael Schiavo would not let them in the room.

“And so his heartless cruelty continues until this very last moment,” said the Rev Frank Pavone, a Roman Catholic priest. “This is not only a death, with all the sadness that brings, but this is a killing, and for that we not only grieve that Terri has passed but we grieve that our nation has allowed such an atrocity as this and we pray that it will never happen again.”

Ms Schiavo’s attorney, George Felos, announced the death but had no comment beyond that. Michael Schiavo’s whereabouts were not known.

“She’s got all of her dignity back. She’s now in heaven, she’s now with God, and she’s walking with grace,” Michael Schiavo’s brother, Scott Schiavo, said.

Outside the hospice, a small group of activists sang hymns. After the tube that supplied a nutrient solution was disconnected, protesters had streamed into Pinellas Park to keep vigil outside her hospice, with many arrested as they tried to bring her food and water.

Musician Dawn Kozsey, 47, wept. “Words cannot express the rage I feel,” she said. “Is my heart broken for this? Yes.”

An autopsy is planned, with both sides hoping it will shed more light on the extent of her brain injuries and whether she was abused by her husband, as the Schindlers have argued.

In what was the source of yet another dispute, Michael Schiavo will get custody of the body and plans to have her cremated and bury the ashes in the family plot.