TAMPA BAY, October 14, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – As the 2pm, October 15 start of disabled victim Terri Schiavo’s starvation order approaches, world renowned author, artist and disability advocate Joni Eareckson-Tada has announced she will attend the Hospice Vigils for Terri, which are going on round-the-clock. WorldNetDaily reports that at the end of a three-and-a-half-hour hearing Friday afternoon, U.S. District Judge Richard A. Lazzara rejected a plea by Terri’s parents, to assume federal jurisdiction over the case, thus ending a last-ditch effort to save their 39-year-old daughter’s life. Tada, founder of the Joni and Friends, is to arrive in Tampa Bay today to offer support for Terri, along with pro-life groups from across the country. Ms. Tada is the best-selling author of 30 books, the founder of the Wheels for the World foundation that supplies wheelchairs and other goods and services to members of the disabled community. WorldNetDaily reports that Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s office says it can’t do anything more to save Schiavo’s life. At a press conference today at the Florida hospice where Terri is residing, Terri’s parents claimed they have evidence that shows “beyond any reasonable doubt that Terri is the victim of gross neglect by her caregivers, and may provide the grounds for Governor Bush to intervene on her behalf.” Pro-life activist Randall Terry, who is participating in the vigil outside the hospice, told WorldNetDaily “Are you telling me that the chief executive officer of a state does not have the authority to save someone’s life. That he has to bow his knee to a tin-pot judge?”
Meanwhile, in Canada, disabled activist Mark Pickup is continuing to pressure the United States to accept an offer of asylum for Terri in Canada. With the support of his MP David Kilgour, Pickup hopes to offer Terri asylum in Canada and pledges the support of the pro-life community to look after her needs. See the latest from Terri’s family website: https://www.terrisfight.org/lead.htm See detailed WorldNetDaily report on the Schiavo case and the astonishing success of some of the secret therapy sessions for Terri arranged by her family. https://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=35077