House panel postpones Schiavo hearing
From Ted Barrett
CNN Washington
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 The battle lines over Terri Schiavo aren't as clear as they appear.
 A federal appeals panel won't order Schiavo's feeding tube reinserted.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The House Committee on Government Reform on Wednesday postponed a hearing at the Florida hospice that houses Terri Schiavo, the brain-damaged woman at the center of a legal and political battle over her fate.
In a last-ditch effort to keep Terri Schiavo's feeding tube in place last week, the committee issued subpoenas for her, her husband and three hospice administrators to appear. The hearing was initially scheduled for Friday.
Members also tried to order that Schiavo's feeding tube remain in place for the hearing -- billed as an examination of long-term health care for incapacitated adults.
Pinellas Circuit Court Judge George Greer, however, refused to let the subpoenas stand in the way of his order to remove Schiavo's feeding tube, saying, "I've heard no cogent reason why the committee should be able to intervene." The tube was removed last Friday.
Schiavo's parents have been fighting her husband for years over the removal of the tube. Michael Schiavo says his wife would not want to be kept alive artificially and there is no hope for her recovery. Bob and Mary Schindler say their daughter might improve with the proper care. (Full story)
The Schindlers, however, have suffered setbacks in both state and federal courts in recent days.
A statement issued by the House committee said the decision to postpone the hearing was made "in light of recent legal events in the state and federal courts."
House Republican leaders, however, plan to file a "friend of the court" brief with the U.S. Supreme Court if the Schiavo case is appealed to that level, a GOP leadership aide told CNN.
The lawmakers want to fully explain Congress' intent in legislation passed last weekend that allowed the Schindlers to move their case from state to federal court, the aide said.
