Terri Schiavo’s last days are approaching.

TAMPA, Fla. - A state appeals court Wednesday refused to block the removal of Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube later this week in the long-running right-to-die battle between the woman’s husband and her parents.

The 2nd District Court of Appeal in Lakeland turned down a request from Bob and Mary Schindler for a delay while they pursue further appeals, and for a new trial on their daughter’s fate.

The tube is scheduled to be removed on Friday at 1 p.m.

(HT: Wizbang)

The Florida legislature has two bills that should be passed sometime in the next 24 hours but the chances of any court intervention on Terri’s behalf while the constitutionality of the laws are determined are slim.

Blogs for Terri informs us of a bill working its way through Congress that would give the federal courts jurisdiction over Terri’s life:

The leaders could decide to call up a bill that would allow parties to the case, which has been tried in Florida courts, to petition to have it heard in Federal District Court. Alternatively, the GOP leaders could decide to try to move a private bill dealing specifically with the Schiavo case.

Democrats have expressed reluctance to intervene due to the expidited nature of the issue and its potential ramifications.

Sensible…but wrong.

Without benefit of tests to show whether or not Terri is truly in a persistent vegetative state (PVS) it would seem prudent to take this issue away from state courts and place Terri’s fate in the hands of judges who don’t have to face the voters on a regular basis. I truly believe that the fact that Florida District Court of Appeals judges have to run for re-election colors their judgement in high profile cases like Terri’s.

Whatever is going to happen in the Congress and the Florida Statehouse, it better happen very soon.

UPDATE: 3/17

Blogs begin to weigh in on the bad news:

Cao’s Blog has a whole slew of posts…just keep scrolling. Cao has been on this story for two months. As a johnny-come-lately- to the issue, I can’t imagine what she and Crystal abd Raven and all the bloggers who’ve given so much to help in this worthy cause are going through.

The Captain has finally realized the stakes:

Up to now, my inclination was to consider this an unfortunate case of dueling experts and bitter family feuding. Now I think this is something more. The people who want the feeding tube pulled all seem to have vested interests outside of Terri’s well-being — Cranford wants to push an agenda for euthanazing people who he finds inconvenient, and Michael Schiavo appears to have a long history of neglect, or at least disinterest in pursuing the proper testing for his wife’s condition.

Polipundit links to an NRO article by Father Johansen and has this to say:

Judge Greer ruled, as a finding of “fact”, that Terri‘s condition is “Persistent Vegetative State” (PVS), based solely on the statements of Michael Schiavo. Reverend Johansen says he has found over 30 board-certifified neurologists who are willing to testify that they have “grave doubts” with a ‘PVS’ diagnosis, and that Terri should re reexamined.

Hugh Hewitt also blogs about the Johnasen piece and adds this:

The indifference of major media to the underlying facts of this case even as they obsess over the smallest detail in the proceedings surrounding Michael Jackson illustrates again the deep bias in the MSM against any story that is –in their minds– identified with the pro-life movement. This is a real life-and-death drama, and the big papers haven’t done a tenth of the basic reporting that an ordinary priest in Michigan has undertaken and completed.

This is no time for recriminations but I do have one question. All of the information in the Johansen article has been out there for weeks. Why now, less than 48 hours before Terri’s tube is disconnected, have 3 of the biggest guns of the blogosphere suddenly taken an interest in this?

See my post here for other questions I raised about this issue.