WASHINGTON, March 31 (Xinhuanet) -- US President George W. Bush extended condolences Thursday to the families of Terri Schiavo, the brain-damaged woman in Florida who died 13 days after her feeding tube was removed.

    "Today, millions of Americans are saddened by the death of Terri Schiavo," Bush said. "Laura and I extend our condolences to Terri Schiavo's family."

    Schiavo, 41, died at the Pinellas Park hospice where she had been kept for alive by a feeding tube for years. The tube was removed on March 18 following the ruling of the presiding judge over the case.

    Schiavo has been in a persistent vegetative state since a sudden heart attack in 1990 which cut oxygen to her brain. Her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, have engaged in a seven-year court battle with her husband and legal guardian Michael Schiavo over her fate.

    Michael Schiavo has urged the removal of his wife's feeding tube, saying she would rather die in her condition. But the Schindlers insisted that their daughter be kept alive.

    A US appeals court on Wednesday rejected the latest appeals by the Schindlers requesting a new hearing on whether to reconnect the feeding tube for their daughter, one of a string of legal setbacks the parents suffered during the last two weeks in both state and federal courts.

    Bush praised the Schindlers for their "grace and dignity they have displayed at a difficult time."

    "I urge all those who honor Terri Schiavo to continue to work to build a culture of life where all Americans are welcomed and valued and protected, especially those who live at the mercy of others," he said.

    After the removal of Schiavo's feeding tube, Bush and Congress intervened in a failed attempt to prolong her life. Bush signed into law a special bill rushed in the Congress to allow the case to be heard by the federal courts, which rejected the parents' request to reinsert the feeding tube.

    But recent polls showed that a majority of Americans opposed the intervention by Bush and the Congress with a case which they say should be handled by the state. Enditem