SPECIAL EDITION OF COUNTDOWN ON TERRI SCHIAVO
Schiavo: the history — Her case has only entered the national consciousness recently — but for the parents of Terri Schiavo and for her husband, Michael it has been a heartbreaking and contentious battle they have fought for more than a decade. The legal clashings of Bob and Mary Schindler and their son-in-law Michael Schiavo is a . By all accounts the marital bonds that united them as family remained strong even after Terri Schaivo was struck by the heart attack that left her with severe brain damage. Michael Schiavo referred to his in-laws as "Mom and Dad." At one point both he and the Schindlers jointly supervised her care. So what happened? Money matters triggered this heart-wrenching battle.
BREAKING NEWS: 11TH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS HAS DENIED SCHINDLERS' APPEAL TO REINSERT SCHIAVO'S FEEDING TUBE. STAY TUNED TO MSNBC FOR DETAILS.
Schiavo: living wills — It is likely that you have a driver's license or a social security number. You've filed tax returns, navigated legal documents like a mortgage or a lease. You may have even signed a contract to get your kids to do the dishes for an allowance. The importance is to write it down. In light of the Terri Schiavo case you might want to . Though Ms. Schiavo's case is far from the first to bring this issue to national attention, it is the most galvanizing because it seems so tragic....In absence of a , it was left to Michael Schiavo to press the case that his wife did not want life support of any kind. The legal battle has obviously taken years, with a financial and emotional cost no one wants to bear.
Schiavo: medical — Unaware of the legal wrangling, unconscious to the politics, the passionate rhetoric or the international media attention that surrounds her is a woman who until five months ago — was unknown to most people. And now, , 15 years after the incident that put her in her current condition. Crowds continue to gather outside the Pinellas Park hospice where Terri Schiavo is being cared for, their personal reasons for being there vary but there is one constant — they are waiting. Doctors have anticipated that should she remain without nourishment or , Terri Shyvo's body will die soon. It has already been one week since the feeding tube providing her with both was removed — and according to her family, the effects are becoming pronounced.