Minneapolis, MN (LifeNews.com) -- In a press conference held at the National Right to Life convention, Thursday afternoon, the family of Terri Schiavo responded to an autopsy report released by a local medical examiner following the thirteen day starvation and dehydration death of Terri Schiavo.

Terri's sister Suzanne Vitadamo read a statement on behalf of herself, Terri's parents Bob and Mary Schindler and Terri's brother Bobby.

Vitadamo said the Schindler family was "not challenging the findings" of the report, but she indicated they hoped to provide some perspective missing in the reporting on it.

She indicated the Schindler family knew of Terri's severe physical and mental conditions prior to the report and said that it confirms that Terri was "brutally dehydrated to death."

Vitadamo disputed the notion she said appears in media stories about Terri that her sister would not have wanted to live in her incapacitated condition or to be the victim of euthanasia.

"There is absolutely no evidence that Terri wanted to die of dehydration, or that she believed that that the level of one's disability gives anyone the moral and legal right to end another's life," Vitadamo said.

"Terri was dehydrated to death before our eyes. The moral shame of what happened is not erased because of Terri's level of disability," she added.

Vitadamo said that society has "lost our compassion for the disabled" by virtue of saying people who are blind or mentally disabled, like Terri, are better off dying.

Terri's sister pointed out some of the key findings of the report that she indicated corroborated some of the things the Schindler family asserted throughout the legal battle. They included:

* Terri had a strong heart and was likely capable of living for a decade or more had she not been starved. Terri's condition was not terminal.

* Terri had injuries to her brain, but she was not brain dead. "Many seem to not understand this absolutely critical distinction."

* The medical report ruled out bulimia and heart attack as a cause of Terri's condition, leaving potential physical abuse on the list of possibilities.

* Vitadamo said the report leaves a 70-minute gap between the time Teri collapsed and the time her estranged husband Michael called 911. "The major question for our family that now remains is what happened," she said. "When a person is without blood and oxygen to their brain, 70 minutes is a terribly long time when each second counts."

* Vitadamo questioned how Terri could have been found lying face down on the floor with her hands crossed and up high against her chest.

* Vitadamo said the underlying basis of the malpractice case has been disproved with the autopsy ruling out bulimia as the cause of the collapse. "Our family would encourage Michael Schiavo to do the right thing and return the funds that were paid by the innocent doctors who were sued for Terri's collapse," she said.

* Terri's sister also asked Michael to tell the Schindler family his plans for Terri's remains so they can give her a proper burial.

* She indicated that the report showed Terri would not be able to eat and drink on her own and said the Schindler family wasn't surprised because she had been denied therapy for twelve years.

* She pointed out that Dr. William Cheshire, a neurologist from the Mayo Clinic, agree with the Schindler family that Terri was awake and aware and at least somewhat cognitive.

* Vitadamo said they knew Terri was visually impaired, Terri clearly saw friends and family, and that Terri could have lost her eyesight during the starvation.

* She said that it appeared contradictory that Terri was given morphine and yet the autopsy claims Terri was unable to feel pain because of her mental condition.

Vitadamo closed and reaffirmed the Schindler family's commitment to fighting for the rights of disabled people.

"Our prayer at this time is that our Nation will remember the plight of persons with disabilities and commit within our hearts to defend their lives and their dignity for many generations to come," she said.