Michael Schiavo Denies Terri’s Parents Visitation Rights

Bioethics   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Oct 22, 2003   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Michael Schiavo Denies Terri’s Parents Visitation Rights

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 22, 2003

Pinellas Park, FL (LifeNews.com) — For years, Michael Schiavo has been victorious in courts when it comes to Terri Schiavo’s situation. However, recent losses in the legislature and in the courts on Tuesday may have him frustrated.

On Wednesday morning, Michael denied Terri’s parents and family the ability to visit her. They may have won a temporary battle to restore Terri’s feeding tube, but Michael remains her guardian and has the legal ability to prevent them from seeing Terri at the hospital where she has been transferred.

Michael has also denied them any new information pertaining to Terri’s current medical condition, which is tenuous following the deprivation of food and water.

"Michael Schiavo has ordered that the hospital may not permit any visitors for Terri, including her parents and siblings," Pamela Hennessy, a spokesman for the family, said in a statement.

"Terri’s immediate family is not allowed to visit her and is not permitted to have any information regarding her physical condition."

This is the second time he has denied Terri’s family the opportunity to visit her. He prohibitied them from any further unsupervised visits on October 15 following revelations that Terri’s father Bob Schindler has muggled a videotape into her room in 2001 to take a video of Terri responding to her mother.

Meanwhile, Michael’s lead attorney George Felos, an assisted suicide advocate, was unsuccessful on Tuesday in getting either Circuit Court Judge George Greer or a state juge to overturn Bush’s executive order demanding that Terri’s feeding tube be reinserted.

However, Greer, who originally approved the order to remove the gastric tube, has allowed Felos to refile the motion on Wednesday.