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The 2000s in America

Terri Schiavo case

by Cait Caffrey

Definition: A US court case in which the husband and parents of Terri Schiavo argued about whether to keep her on life support

The Terri Schiavo case captivated America in the mid-2000s. The high-profile case for Schiavo’s life sparked heated debates about living wills, euthanasia, and end-of-life issues. Schiavo had suffered from cardiac arrest in 1990 and had been in a vegetative state for several years when her husband petitioned to have her removed from life support, sparking a grueling five-year court battle with her parents.

Terri Schiavo had been in a vegetative state for eight years when her husband, Michael, petitioned to have her feeding tube removed in 1998. She had made no living will, and as a result, the state had designated her husband as her legal guardian. Schiavo’s parents, Robert and Mary Schindler, were against this petition and took Michael Schiavo to court in early 2000. The court heard a great deal of testimony about Terri’s feelings on the subject of artificially prolonged life and ruled in favor of Michael Schiavo, ordering his wife’s feeding tube removed on April 24, 2001.

A myriad of appeals, petitions, and civil suits by the Schindlers followed as they attempted to keep their daughter on life support. The Schindlers wanted Michael Schiavo to divorce their daughter, thereby forfeiting his guardianship and his inheritance of $700,000 in trust that Terri had received from a malpractice suit. Her husband insisted that his wife would not want to go on living a wholly dependent life and refused to relinquish his guardianship.

The Schindlers filed a civil suit against Michael Schiavo on charges of perjury. Schiavo’s tube, which had been removed two days earlier, was reinserted while the case was reviewed. An evidentiary hearing was called in October 2002, and five neurologists examined Schiavo to determine her cognitive abilities. The court did not find sufficient evidence of mental cognition and affirmed the initial diagnosis that Terri was in a persistent vegetative state.

The feeding tube was once again removed in October 2003. A few days later, Florida governor Jeb Bush ordered the tube to be reinserted after the state legislature passed a special law known as Terri’s Law, which granted the governor the right to intervene in the case. This law was eventually deemed unconstitutional, and Schiavo’s feeding tube was removed for a final time on March 18, 2005. Despite the involvement of President George W. Bush, the Supreme Court repeatedly declined to intervene in the case. Schiavo died on March 31, 2005.

Impact

Terri Schiavo’s death incited massive public debate and crusading. As a result, issues such as end-of-life decisions, living wills, and euthanasia were illuminated and widely discussed. The case also encouraged debates about government intervention in cases such as Schiavo’s. It remains one of the most deliberated cases in American history.

Further Reading

1 

Copeland, Larry, and Laura Parker. “Terri Schiavo’s Case Doesn’t End with Her Passing.” USA Today, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2005. Web. 14 Dec. 2012.

2 

Fuhrman, Mark. Silent Witness: The Untold Story of Terri Schiavo’s Death. New York: Morrow, 2005. Print.

3 

Nohlgren, Stephen. “Schiavo Tapes: Snippets, Then Not Much.” St. Petersburg Times. Tampa Bay Times, 10 Nov. 2003. Web. 14 Dec. 2012.

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
Caffrey, Cait. "Terri Schiavo Case." The 2000s in America, edited by Craig Belanger, Salem Press, 2013. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=2000_0365.
APA 7th
Caffrey, C. (2013). Terri Schiavo case. In C. Belanger (Ed.), The 2000s in America. Salem Press.
CMOS 17th
Caffrey, Cait. "Terri Schiavo Case." Edited by Craig Belanger. The 2000s in America. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2013. Accessed September 18, 2025. online.salempress.com.