Date: March 18, 2005 For Immediate Release

Patricia Heaton Pleads for Terri Schiavo

Two-time Emmy winner and New York Times best-selling author Patricia Heaton pled for the life of Terri Schiavo today as Terri's life-sustaining feeding tube was removed. Heaton serves as Honorary Chair of Feminists for Life of America.

"We must not let Terri Schiavo be starved to death," said Heaton. "This deliberate and painful destruction of a woman's life cannot be justified or tolerated. Terri deserves better."

Fifteen years ago Terri's husband Michael testified in the medical malpractice suit he filed: "I believe in the vows I took with my wife: through sickness and health, for richer or poor. I married my wife because I love her and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I'm going to do that."

But after being awarded $800,000 for Terri's rehabilitation and lifetime care and $640,000 for his loss, Michael had a do-not-resuscitate order placed on his wife's chart and repeatedly denied her treatment for infections. He now lives with a woman by whom he has fathered children.

The star of Everybody Loves Raymond says she is outraged. "By his actions Michael Schiavo has demonstrated that he should not be the one making the ultimate life or death decisions for a woman who, only in legal terms, remains his wife. His belief that this was Terri's wish counters the views of Terri's family who, no doubt, know Terri well. Removal of a feeding tube will result in a slow starvation that is cruel and painful."

"Feminists have always challenged the idea that married women have no rights of their own," said Heaton. "A husband should not be granted absolute control over his wife's fate, especially a disaffected husband with dubious motives."

"Terri has parents whose unselfish desire is to simply love her, care for her and let her live. She is not in a comatose state and she is not suffering from terminal disease. Terri may no longer be perfect or complete but she has a fundamental right to life. Her feeding tube must be re-inserted."

The starvation of Terri Schiavo will take at least seven to ten days.

Feminists for Life opposes the killing of a disabled woman under a so-called "right" to die. We believe there is no justification for the deliberate destruction of human life. FFL opposes all forms of violence, including euthanasia, as they are inconsistent with the core feminist principles of justice, nonviolence, and nondiscrimination.

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Feminists for Life of America (www.feministsforlife.org) is a nonsectarian, nonpartisan, grassroots, 501(c)3 organization that seeks real solutions to the challenges women face.