Mar 26, 2005 / 22:00 pm
In the most dramatic turn in the fight for Terri Schiavo's life, her parents asked supporters to return home to spend Easter Sunday with their families, after deciding not to file another motion with a federal appeals court, essentially ending their effort via the judiciary power.
As Bob and Mary Schindler's daughter went a ninth day without food or water, Franciscan Fr.Paul O'Donnell, said the family unsuccessfully urged Michael Schiavo to allow his wife the sacrament of communion during the holiest day of the Catholic year. She received last rites the day the feeding tube was pulled.
"This is in violation of her religious rights and freedoms and allows the governor to intervene," Fr. O'Donnell said Saturday, repeating the family's request that the governor take Schiavo into protective custody. "We beg you to have courage and take action," he added.