House Committee Postpones Hearing on Terri Schiavo Subpoenas

House Committee Postpones Hearing on Terri Schiavo Subpoenas

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
March 23, 2005

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A House committee has postponed hearings it had scheduled when it sent subpoenas to Terri Schiavo, her estranged husband, and administrators at the Florida hospice where Terri lives.

The House Committee on Government Reform on Wednesday slated to hold the hearing on Friday, but made the decision Wednesday to cancel.

CNN reported that the committee issued a statement that it made the decision "in light of recent legal events in the state and federal courts."

However, House Republican leaders plan to file an amicus brief supporting Bob and Mary Schindler should their lawsuit reach the Supreme Court. They want to explain to the high court why they passed the bill allowing Terri's parents to take their case from Florida courts to federal courts.

The hearing was scheduled to be held at Woodside Hospice, in Pinellas Park, Florida, and Congressional leaders hoped the subpoenas would be a way to afford Terri further legal protection while her parents pressed forward with their lawsuit to prevent her painful starvation death.

Circuit Court Judge George Greer refused to let the subpoenas get in the way of his order to allow Michael to take Terri's life and reissued his order on Friday that started the starvation.

"I've heard no cogent reason why the committee should be able to intervene," Judge Greer ruled.