Terri Schiavo's longtime doctor resigned last Thursday just as Michael Schiavo's attorney was preparing to wage a court battle that will begin today to overturn Governor Jeb Bush's executive order asking doctors to reinsert Terri's feeding tube.
Dr. Victor Gambone faxed a note to Morton Plant Hospital confirming he would be stepping down as Terri's doctor. He had claimed that the removal of the tube would allow her to die peacefully within days — contrary to the belief of numerous pro-life doctors and doctors' groups.
Michael's attorney George Felos, an assisted suicide advocate, said, “The events of the last two weeks weighed on him very heavily.”
Morton Plant Hospital, where Terri Schiavo was taken last week for the gastric tube to be reinserted, brought in another specialist to take over for Gambone, Felos said.
Meanwhile, Terri's parents visited her again on Thursday and they say she continues to improve, albeit slowly.
“Terri is great, absolutely great. She has her color back. She's tired, but she just looks wonderful,” her father, Bob Schindler, told the Associated Press.
Both sides will appear in court today as Felos challenges Bush's order. He says both the order and the legislation passed by the Florida legislature are unconstitutional.
Felos will file his brief today and Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist is expected to file a response by Friday.
The legislation allows for a guardian to be appointed for Terri and if both sides can't agree on one, which is likely, a judge will be able to appoint one.
In other news, the ACLU has confirmed that it will aid Michael Schiavo in the upcoming legal battle.
For months the ACLU stayed uninvolved because courts continually sided with Michael. Howard Simon, director of the organization's Florida affiliate said they decided to get involved once the legislature and Governor Bush intervened.
That news comes as an outrage to Pamela Hennessy, a representative of the family.
“I've been contacting the ACLU since the beginning of my involvement in this case to have them speak out against what's going on with Terri,” Hennessy said. “It's going on against her will. She's had her religious freedoms stripped from her. She's had her civil liberties stripped from her. And they're defending the husband?”
Leaders of the AARP and the Florida Bar Association are also considering whether or not to get involved, and also on Michael's behalf.
Finally, Terri's family confirmed that Michael Schiavo required a representative of his to be present during visitations with Terri's family and that his “mistress” was once his official representative. In at least once instance, Jodi Centonze, with whom Michael has been living for a number of years and with whom he has one child and another one the way, was the official representative.
Visit the Terri's Fight website.
(This article courtesy of Steven Ertelt and LifeNews.com. For more information or to subscribe go to LifeNews.com or email [email protected].)
