Senate approves bill to keep Schiavo alive

    The US Senate on Sunday approved a bill to prolong the life of a heavily brain-damaged Florida woman amid increasing political pressures.

    "This is about defending life," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Saturday, adding that President George W. Bush is cutting short a Texas vacation and back to Washington to sign the bill.

    The 41-year old Terri Schiavo has been in a persistent vegetative state and fed artificially for 15 years due to severe brain damage.

    The patient's husband and parents have been fighting for years over whether she should be permitted to die or kept alive by the feeding tube.

    A Florida judge ordered Friday to remove Schiavo's feeding tubeat the request of the patient's husband, who says that was his wife's wish communicated to him when she was well.

    Hence, the patient's parents brought the case to Washington, turning the personal family dispute into an emotional national political debate. Enditem