The right to buy life?

In a last-ditch effort to "save" Terry Schiavo, a San Diego millionaire has offered Schiavo's husband $1 million to keep her alive.

Published March 11, 2005 8:04PM (EST)

Who says money can't buy everything? In a last-ditch effort to "save" Terri Schiavo, a San Diego millionaire has offered Schiavo's husband $1 million to keep her alive. The brain-damaged Florida woman, who has been in a vegetative state since 1990, will have her feeding tube removed on March 18 barring an act of Congress or a miracle. On Thursday, Robert Herring, Sr., stepped in with his offer to persuade Michael Schiavo to transfer custody rights to her parents, who want to keep her body alive. He rejected the offer outright, calling it "offensive."

In January, the Supreme Court declined to hear a case brought by Gov. Jeb Bush to keep the feeding tube inserted. But with time ticking down, Congress may yet act to save Schiavo. Sen. Mel Martinez, R.-Fla., and Rep. Dave Weldon, R.-Fla., are sponsoring a bill to grant habeas corpus protection to "incapacitated persons" who have not left written instructions for family -- comparable to the legal protection for death row inmates. The Florida legislature is also considering such a bill.


By Julia Scott

San Francisco-based freelance journalist Julia Scott writes about water and energy issues for various publications. She also covers the environment for Bay Area News Group, a chain of newspapers in Northern California.

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