Monday, March 7

Habeas Corpus for Terri

The "writ of habeas corpus" is a legal proceeding, protected by the US Constitution, that gives a person whose liberty has been constrained by state courts in violation of his or her Constitutional rights. This has been traditionally used by prisoners but in 1968 the US Supreme Court ruled "the use of habeas corpus has not been restricted to situations in which the applicant is in actual, physical custody. ... in the state courts, as in England, habeas corpus has been widely used by parents disputing over which is the fit and proper person to have custody of their child ...."

Comes now FL Representative Dave Weldon, M.D. who will introduce The Incapacitated Person’s Legal Protection Act in Congress tomorrow, March 8. This is a bill that would give the Schindler family access to a federal court to argue for the life of their daughter, Terri Schindler Schiavo.

Although there are court rulings and precedents, there is no law to guarantee that someone with a disability, charged with no crime, can turn to Federal courts for protection. That's why a law is needed -- to protect the innocent from murder by irresponsible judges.

Please write your state's representative today and ask him/her to support the Incapacitated Person's Legal Protection Act.

And just in case it doesn't pass, please sign the petition to ask President Bush to spare her life HERE at Ipetition.com.

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