Related: US Congress reaches compromise to save comatose woman

Bush signs bill to keep Schiavo alive

US President George W. Bush has signed a controversial legislation to prolong the life of a severely brain-damaged woman, Terri Schiavo. Her sister(C), brother-in-law (R) and her father celebrates after the victory in Pinellas Park, Florida, March 21, 2005.  (Xinhua/AFP)

Schiavo's father and sister (Xinhua/AFP)

Schiavo's father and sister are interviewed by reporters. (Xinhua/Reuters)

Supporters of Schiavo rally in Pinellas Park, Florida, March 21, 2005. (Xinhua/Reuters)

    BEIJING, Mar. 22 (Xinhuanet)-- "To be or not to be?" This disputed life struggle question of Terri Schiavo, the severely brain-damaged woman, will be moved into a federal court after US President Bush signed a bill, giving her parents the right to go into the federal court system in an effort to have Terri's feeding tube re-inserted.¡¡

This disputed life struggle question of Terri Schiavo, the severely brain-damaged woman, will be moved into a federal court after US President Bush signed a bill, giving her parents the right to go into the federal court system in an effort to have Terri's feeding tube re-inserted.(AFP/file)

    This dramatic move suggests that Schiavo, brain damaged since a heart attack 15 years ago, should have her feeding tube restored so she won't starve to death.

    Congress acted early Sunday to let Schiavo's parents take her case out of the sole jurisdiction of a Florida judge and have it considered by the federal courts. The Florida judge has repeatedly ruled, at the request of Terri's husband Michael, that her feeding tube should be removed. Florida appeals courts have upheld that decision. The feeding tube was removed on Friday.

    "We are confident that this compromise addresses everyone's concerns," House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a Republican from Texas, said at a news conference. "We are confident it will provide Mrs. Schiavo a clear and appropriate avenue for appeal in federal court.

Anti-euthanasia protesters demonstrate to prevent Terri Schiavo from being euthanized in 2003. (AFP/file)

    "And most importantly we are confident this compromise will restore nutrition and hydration to Mrs. Schiavo as long as that appeal endures."

    Schiavo's husband and legal guardian, Michael Schiavo, has engaged in a seven-year court battle with her parents. Michael has urged the removal of the feeding tube, saying his wife would rather die in her condition, and her parents insisted that Schiavobe kept alive.

    Some doctors have testified that Terri Schiavo, 41, is in a persistent vegetative state, after a sudden heart attack, with no hope for recovery, but Schiavo's parents would not give up any sign of hope.

    In one of the fiercest life-and-death battles in the United States, Schiavo's feeding tube was removed twice and then resumed.

    Schiavo's anguished mother, Mary Schindler, pleaded Saturday with officials and lawmakers to save her daughter's life. But Michael Schiavo assailed lawmakers for its attempt to save his wife, saying they should leave her and him alone. Enditem

    (Agencies)