FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2004

Statement of Catholic Media Coalition
Responding to Florida Supreme Court Ruling
that "Terri's Law" is Unconstitutional


The Catholic Media coalition denounces the Florida Supreme Court's
decision released September 23 declaring "Terri's Law"
unconstitutional. The court's action sets the stage to allow Michael
Schiavo, Terri's husband, to remove his wife's feeding tube for the
third time in order to kill her by dehydration/starvation. Since
Terri is not dying this constitutes deliberate and pre-meditated
murder.

Many questions surround Terri's 1990 collapse and subsequent
treatment.  They include evidence of possible spousal abuse,
conflicts of interest arising from Michael Schiavo's long-term
adulterous relationship with the mother of his two children, his
failure to comply with state guardianship laws, etc.   These
questions remain unanswered.  Despite laws protecting the disabled,
Terri's rights have been consistently denied by the Florida court
system.

Yesterday's decision is one more example of a run-away judiciary
facilitating the deliberate murder of the innocent. The Florida
Supreme Court has declared Terri's Law unconstitutional because it
supposedly violates the separation of powers.  But for several
generations activist judges have created new rights out of thin air
usurping the legislature's role as lawmaker and using their judicial
activism to justify further encroachments.  Now the Florida Supreme
Court wishes a court judgment to be final and infallible, not
subject to any checks and balances from the other branches of
government.

Classically understood, however, the role of the judiciary is to
interpret the practical application of the legislature's intent. 
Literally millions of Americans, armed with pitchforks and torches,
or today's orderly equivalent in emails, phone calls, and letters
moved both the legislature and governor to agree that the court
seriously misapplied existing law and intent.  The true separation
of powers, with its checks and balances, worked with and
through "Terri's Law" to keep the judiciary within its proper
bounds, stifling the illegitimate act of creating a new precedent
and therefore a new right to kill the disabled. The people and the
people's government never envisioned such judicial abuse.  We have
not amended our Constitution and clearly do not consent to the
diminution of the enumerated right to life, a basic and pivotal
protection.   We will not tolerate judges so lost that they would
starve an innocent woman to death. 

Pope John Paul II has stated unequivocally that nutrition and
hydration are ordinary care and may never be removed in order to
bring about death.  Terri Schiavo as a practicing Catholic would
wish to comply with the teachings of her faith. 

We call on Terri Schiavo's bishop, His Excellency Robert Lynch, the
Florida Catholic Bishops, and all the bishops of the United States
to denounce the court's failure to protect the religious, civil, and
human rights of Terri Schiavo and demand Terri's protection under
the first amendment of the Constitution.  We call on all the
faithful to pray for Terri and her family. Legalizing the murder of
the sick and helpless is an outgrowth and extension of the judicial
tyranny illustrated by Roe v. Wade which allowed the murder of the
unborn.  A civilized people must resist it or risk their own
continued existence as a free nation.

END