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CLEARWATER, Florida, March 16, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A spokesman for the national Orthodox Jewish organization, Agudath Israel, appealed to Michael Schiavo Wednesday to “recognize that what a court may consider legal can still constitute a grave violation of a higher law,” and asked him to “please allow your wife to continue to live.”

“None of us can claim to know what constitutes a meaningful existence,” Rabbi Avi Shafran, the organization’s director of public affairs said. “And all of us have a responsibility to preserve even severely compromised human life.”

Meanwhile, Michael Schiavo had sharp words for Florida Governor Jeb Bush and lawmakers in an interview with ABCs Nightline host Chris Bury Tuesday, claiming Bush and Florida lawmakers are overstepping their bounds by intervening in the case.

“You know, it’s really uncomprehensible (sic) to think that a private family matter that has gone through the judiciary system for the past seven years – I mean, we’re talking all the way up to the United States Supreme Court – and for a governor to come into this without any education on the subject and push his personal views into this and have his Republican legislation pass laws so that this doesn’t happen,” Schiavo said, according to an ABC transcript of the interview. “He’s basically jumping right over the state court’s decision. We might as well not have any state courts.”

Michael Schiavo condemned attempts by Bush and the Florida legislature to prevent Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube from being removed by passing legislation saying that, unless there was a written directive, no one can deny a person food and water. The Florida Senate is debating mirror legislation that is less sweeping – it would deny the removal of food and hydration if family members disagree on the measure, unless there is a pre-existing written directive from the disabled person.

Michael also revealed that the State has picked up the tab for Terri Schiavo’s hospice care – normally $80,000 per year -for at least the past two years, as she is regarded as indigent. Of the $1 million settlement Michael received from the suit launched against Terri’s doctors, Michael took home $300,000, while his lawyers almost $400,000, according to a former attorney for Michael, Deborah Bushnell, leaving less than a third for Terri’s care and rehabilitation.

Michael also claimed that the horrible death Terri will suffer is in fact painless. “Death through removing somebody’s nutrition is very painless,” he said.

In related news, the Clearwater municipality has erected barricades in front of the hospice where Terri resides, to prevent protestors from demonstrating there.

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