WASHINGTON (March 21, 2005)— Early this morning President Bush signed into
law a "private relief" bill passed by Congress over the weekend for the
parents of Terri Schiavo, the young woman at the heart of a controversy
over withholding food and water from people with cognitive disabilities.
The law gives Ms. Schiavo's parents the right to make claims in a federal
court for the protection of her constitutional rights.
"We commend the President and members of the House and Senate for making
it possible for Terri Schiavo's parents to present their case in federal
court," said Richard Doerflinger, Deputy Director of the Secretariat for
Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
"Terri Schiavo is not terminally ill; she is a woman with cognitive
disabilities. This law ensures that the decision to discontinue her
assisted feeding will be reviewed with full attention to her legal
rights."
In March 2004, Pope John Paul II affirmed the Church's teaching that the
provision of water and food, even by artificial means, to a patient
diagnosed as being in a "vegetative" state is "morally obligatory, insofar
as and until it is seen to have attained its proper finality, which in the
present case consists in providing nourishment to the patient and
alleviation of his suffering." It is disputed whether Terri Schiavo
herself can be said to be in a "vegetative" state, because family members
and others say she is aware of her surroundings.