Victims Advocacy Group to Help Terri Schiavo’s Parents on Abuse Concerns 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 26, 2005
Jacksonville, FL (LifeNews.com) — A prominant victims advocacy group says it will get involved in the battle over preventing the starvation of Terri Schiavo. The Justice Coalition says it will help Terri’s parents Bob and Mary Schindler prove whether or not Terri was a victim of abuse.
Abuse concerns have been around since a September 1991 bone scan conducted on Terri, more than a year and a half after her February 1990 collapse, showed evidence of physical trauma and possible abuse.
The scan also showed several broken bones and caused concerns for the Schindlers that Terri’s estranged husband Michael may have abused her and caused the collapse.
Ted Hires, founder of the influential victim rights group, has scheduled a news conference for Monday to announce his involvement.
“We believe that Terri is a victim and we are positioning ourselves to become involved in the case as victim advocates”, Hires said. “She continues to be victimized."
Hines said the Justice Coalition is not entering the case because of pro-life concerns about euthanizing Terri.
“That’s not what we’re doing. This is about victims," he said.
Terri’s father Bob and her brother Bobby traveled to Jacksonville earlier this month to ask Hines to help them.
“We are very grateful for what Mr. Hires is doing”, Terri’s brother said.
Hines founded the victims advocacy group in 1995 after two men broke into his office and robbed him at gunpoint.
The Justice Coalition’s involvement follows an announcement this past week by the Florida Department of Children and Families, which asked Circuit Court Judge George Greer for a 60-day stay preventing Terri’s starvation while it examines what it says are new allegations of abuse.
DCF filed an 11 page report with Greer, but the local judge instead set a March 18 date for Michael to remove Terri’s feeding tube and take her life.
The DCF report is said to mirror concerns the Schindlers have had that Michael has not provided Terri with appropriate medical care ore habilitative treatment while the legal case has dragged on.
Related web sites:
Justice Coalition – https://www.justicecoalition.org
Terri’s parents – https://www.terrisfight.org
