Hidden Nook

Theresa "Terri" Schiavo, 41, has been in what some doctors said is a persistent vegetative state since suffering a heart attack that cut off oxygen to her brain in 1990; she cannot feed herself or communicate. Her husband, Michael Schiavo, said his wife would not want to keep living in her condition and sought legal permission to remove her feeding tube so she can die. But her parents, Robert and Mary Schindler, said their daughter responds to them and might improve with treatment.

The long-running legal battle has become a rallying case for advocates of the right to die, advocates for the disabled, right-to-life groups and civil libertarians. Greer has twice given Michael Schiavo permission to stop his wife's feeding, but her parents have obtained reversals both times. The Schindlers also want Michael Schiavo removed as his wife's legal guardian, but Greer has not considered that request.

Greer first allowed Schiavo's feeding to be stopped in 2001, but another judge reversed the order. Her feeding tube was removed in October 2003, but the Florida legislature passed a special bill giving Florida Gov. Jeb Bush authority to have the tube reinserted, which he did.

The Florida Supreme Court ruled last September that the law violated the state constitution's separation of powers among the executive and judicial branches of government, reinstating the removal of the tube. Bush appealed that ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, which refused to hear the case. Attorneys for the Schindlers say they have other legal issues to raise which they hope will keep Terri alive.