Washington D.C., Mar 17, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Senator Mel Martinez’s (R-FL) private relief bill to aid Terri Schiavo passed the Senate by a voice vote yesterday.
The Incapacitated Person’s Legal Protection Act of 2005 will allow Schiavo’s parents to appeal to a Federal Court and give the court an opportunity to ensure that Schiavo’s due process rights had not been violated in the state judicial proceedings.
Earlier yesterday, Concerned Women for America (CWA) issued a statement, urging the Senate to take immediate action to save Schiavo, a 41-year-old disabled woman, whose feeding tube is scheduled to be removed this afternoon.
"Terri's plight is a clear choice for Americans. It’s a watershed moment whether we as a country will decide for disabled people that their death is preferable to us than life," Wendy Wright, CWA's senior policy director, had said in a statement.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed identical legislation March 16. It had been sponsored by Congressman Dave Weldon (R-FL) and would delay the removal of Schiavo's feeding tube by moving the case to federal court.