Gibson speaks out on behalf of Schiavo

Mar 13, 2005 / 22:00 pm

Last week moviemaker and creator of the film, The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson spoke out on behalf of brain-damaged Terri Schiavo, scheduled to be taken off her feeding tube this week.

In a phone conversation with Bob Schindler, Terri’s father, Gibson encouraged the family to “never give up and continue to pray.”

Gibson also sent a statement to the family, which was read at a rally on Saturday.

In it, he said "I fully support the efforts of Mr. & Mrs. Schindler to save their daughter, Terri Schiavo, from a cruel starvation.  Terri's husband should sign the care of his wife over to her parents so she can be properly cared for.”

Schindler commented that the family is “very grateful that Mr. Gibson has come forward and issued such an encouraging statement on such a delicate matter. He was extremely supportive in our telephone conversation.”

He also noted that Mr. Gibson “believes there is hope for Terri and that he knows of people in similar circumstances that have improved.”

A Florida judge set a date of March 18^th for Terri’s feeding tube, which provides her with food and hydration, to be removed. The family has been battling Terri’s husband Michael Schiavo for years to keep their daughter alive and has vowed to do everything possible to overturn the judge’s decision.