Families Tense Over Schiavo Burial

As it becomes clear that the legacy of Terri Schiavo will live on in statehouse debate and possibly in new laws, her family's debate ensues over the right to her body, as it did with the right to her life.

Schiavo was cremated over the weekend, according to news reports. The cremation was carried out according to a court order issued March 29 establishing that Michael Schiavo had the right to make such decisions, his lawyer George Felos said. Schiavo also has the legal right to bury his wife's ashes.

Terri Schiavo's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, wanted to bury their daughter in Pinellas County, Fla.

On the first Sunday after Terri Schiavo's death, the pastor at her parents' church said her passing - the end result of lengthy court battles that threatened to divide the nation - should be regarded as a lesson.

"Every life has dignity," said the Rev. Bill Swengros, of Most Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church. "It doesn't matter if you're young or old, whether you're able-bodied or infirm, male or female, whether you're religious or nonreligious, American or non-American. Every human being has dignity in life, and every breath is precious."

Legislation regarding family members' custody and a patient's life-sustaining rights might pass if an emerging coalition of disability rights activists and right-to-lifers succeeds in turning the national agony over her case into a re-examination of when and how our lives come to an end.

Schiavo's parents are having a funeral mass for her on Tuesday, at Most Holy Name of Jesus Church in Gulfport, Fla.

It's expected that Michael Schiavo will also hold a memorial service.

By court order, he must disclose the location of the burial site to Terri's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, and inform them of any memorial service he plans.

Michael Schiavo plans to bury his wife's ashes in his family plot near Philadelphia. Bobby Schindler, Terri Schiavo's brother, said Michael Schiavo still has not offered the Schindler side any specific details for any planned services in Pennsylvania, or the burial.

"They've been pretty rotten to our family throughout this whole ordeal," Bobby Schindler said Sunday night.

Schiavo, 41, became the center of right-to-die issues in America, as her husband and parents waged a lengthy legal war over whether she would have wanted to be kept alive after suffering a devastating brain injury 15 years ago.

She died March 31st, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed at the request of her husband and countless courts. Michael Schiavo said he was fulfilling her wishes to not be kept alive artificially.

An autopsy was done Friday; results are expected sometime in the next few weeks.

Rev. Swengros spoke with Mary Schindler on Saturday, and noted her positive attitude.

"With many of us, we'd be angry or bitter," Swengros said. "There's none of that; she feels at peace that her daughter is with the Lord."

In some states, new laws are being considered to prevent situations such as the showdown between Schiavo's husband and parents.

So far, only a few legislators in a handful of states have sought significant changes to their laws, which define the fundamental elements at stake how a person can set limits on their medical care, who gets to decide what their wishes are, what evidence is needed to prove it.

Bills to clarify end-of-life decisions have been introduced in states including Alabama, Hawaii, Louisiana, Minnesota and South Dakota. The Louisiana measure is called the "Human Dignity Act"; Alabama's is the "Starvation and Dehydration Prevention Act."

The issue is one that can be tricky for politicians. A Houston Chronicle poll found support for House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has slipped since Congress passed a special bill to help Schiavo's parents press their case. A majority of those surveyed also said they disapprove of DeLay's leadership in getting that bill passed.

Debate over Schiavo's fate continued Sunday at church services not far from the Pinellas Park, Fla., hospice where Schiavo died.

At Most Holy Name of Jesus church, parishioner Jim Callus, 71, said "The government never should've got involved in the first place."

His wife, Pat Callus, 67, added: "But I understand the reasons because they're paying respect to human life, which is a precious thing."

At Calvary Baptist Church in Clearwater - the former church of Pinellas Circuit Judge George Greer, who ruled many times against the Schindlers - the Schiavo case wasn't directly mentioned in the service.

"I think it's very sad they starved someone to death," said Sherry Pantelides, 38, a member of Calvary Baptist. "At what point do you decide somebody's life is not valuable? It's an arrogance of man to think we get to decide who lives and who dies."

At nondenominational Without Walls International Church, which boasts one of Tampa's largest congregations, pastor Randy White suggested that people look into living wills.

Schiavo's wishes were never made explicitly known, leading Michael Schiavo and the Schindlers to fight it out in court.

"The Lord's got a purpose in everything," said Without Walls member Crystal Nunley, 25, of Tampa. "She passed away, so I guess that was OK with him."