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 ERIE, PA-Bobby Schindler, brother of Terri Schiavo will be the keynote speaker at People for Life's 28th Annual Pro-Life Prayer Breakfast to be held Jan. 7 at 9 a.m. at the Avalon Hotel in Erie, PA.
"Before his sister's death, Bobby Schlinder was an average citizen", the flyer for the event says. "He taught math and science in a Catholic high school in Tampa, Florida. He had moved to Florida from his native Pennsylvania in order to stay close to his family: his parents, his sister, Suzanne and his older sister, Theresa or Terri. The Schlinder family was always very close and the relationship between Bobby and Terri was exceptionally strong". http://www.peopleforlife.org/january2006/bobbyschindler.html
Since his sister's death on March 31, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed by court order, Bobby has left his teaching position and as spokesman for the Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation, travels across the country, appearing in numerous speaking engagements, devoting himself to protecting other people with disabilities and raising public awareness about the growing threat of euthanasia.
Terri sustained serious brain damage in an unexplained collapse in February, 1990, that left her incapacitated. In the years to follow as the Schindler family battled her husband, Michael Schiavo in the courts to keep Terri alive, Bobby became the family spokesman. He addressed the nation through countless television, radio and print media interviews---the mainstream media which misreported the situation and was "less than sympathetic. As the urgency of Terri's situation grew, so did Bobby's efforts". After the feeding tube was removed March 18 from Terri at Woodside Hospice where she had been for five years although not terminal, Bobby traveled to Washington to personally intercede with members of Congress to try to save his sister's life.
The proceeds from Bobby's appearances go to the Foundation, established by the family in 2002 to fight for Terri's life. Today, the goals of TSSF are to educate the general public regarding current guardianship laws and state laws on death by dehydration and starvation, and on end-of-life issues and threats as well as provide support, both legal and material, and referrals to individuals with disabilities and their families.
TSSF recognizes the dangers associated with end of life decisions and provides the tools that are necessary for families to address these decisions with the committed belief that all human life is sacred.
People for Life's program says that "Bobby's altruistic mission to inform and inspire his fellow citizens may be attributed to a strong desire for justice, a justice that eluded his late sister. After being intimately involved in Terri's fight, Bobby is now motivated by a sense of personal responsibility to expose the truth about his sister's situation and about what he sees as the growing nationwide trend of devaluing life, especially in its most fragile stages.
"In his presentation, Bobby describes his late sister and the facts and details of her case as only he can do, having been one of the closest people to her from childhood until the day she died. He also pulls the curtain for the audience and exposes the powerful groups in the country that were instrumental in ending Terri's life.
"Through his unique experience, Bobby illustrates the inadequacy of the country's justice system and diminishing respect for vulnerable life. He speaks sincerely and plainly, with no other agenda than to share his concerns and his desire for a compassionate society and to honor the memory of his sister.
Bobby's message is not just about Terri Schiavo, it's about the future of the country.
Individuals wishing to contact People For Life may do so by calling 814-459-1333 or 814-882-1333.
http://www.peopleforlife.org/january2006/posterbreakfast2006.pdf 12-31-05
© 2005 North
Country Gazette
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