Washington, DC – “With the death of Terri Schiavo announced this morning, we wish to offer her parents and loved ones our deepest thoughts and prayers for comfort during this time of loss,” said Traditional Values Coalition Chairman Rev. Louis P. Sheldon, and Executive Director Andrea Lafferty, in a joint statement today. “And we are deeply troubled by media reports that Terri’s estranged husband would not allow her parents or siblings to be at her side during her final minutes.”

Rev. Sheldon and Mrs. Lafferty are both saddened and outraged by what has happened to Terri Schiavo. “While we are convinced that Terri is now in a far better place, we are also angered by the treatment she received from her estranged husband Michael and from a judicial system that has apparently embraced a Jack Kevorkian view of the value of human life.

“This case, and perhaps Terri’s legacy, will be to shed new light on judicial activism and the need for Congress to act to deal with out-of-control judges who rule without proper legal authority or ignore the law.

“All lives have infinite value in the eyes of God—including Terri’s—and it is a shameful thing to see judges condemning an innocent, disabled person to death—simply on the word of Michael Schiavo, a person who clearly cannot be trusted.”

They continued: “We vow that Terri’s death will not have been in vain. There are serious life issues at stake here as a result of Terri’s starvation by court order. This tragic case brings to light a whole range of serious ethical and legal problems in our system. We will work to make certain that no more disabled individuals will be executed by starvation by court order.”

“We urge all Americans to pray for the Schindler family and all those who surrounded Terri with love during this difficult and unjust struggle,” said Rev. Sheldon and Mrs. Lafferty.

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