Judge Lifts the Stay on Terri's Life

The judge who granted a stay to keep the feeding tube in Terri Shiavo has lifted his stay and granted Michael Schiavo the right to withdraw the tube as early as March 18.

The judge wrote that he was no longer comfortable granting delays in the long-running family feud, which has been going on for nearly seven years and has been waged in every level of Florida's court system. He said the case must end... "The court is no longer comfortable granting stays simply upon the filings of new motions," Greer wrote. "There will always be 'new' issues." ...The decision came on the 15th anniversary of Terri Schiavo's collapse, when a chemical imbalance brought on by an eating disorder caused her heart to stop beating.

In other news, Jeb Bush has pledged to do everything in his power to save Terri. The question now really is, how far is he willing to go. As governor, he can order state officers to stand between Terri and those who would unplug the tube. It could be a showdown between the Executive and Judicial branches. One which will inevitably bring back images of Southern Governors standing at the schoolhouse door during the civil rights movement. Not an image likely to get Jeb reelected... or elected in any national election. Is it a price he is willing to pay?