Schiavo Drama Moves Into Final Act

The bitter and public family feud over the fate of a severely brain damaged woman appeared to enter its final stages yesterday after the White House said it had done all it could to prolong the life of Terri Schiavo.

The word arrived hours after Robert and Mary Schindler suffered their second legal defeat in two days when a three-judge panel of the federal appeals court in Atlanta refused to order reconnection of their daughter's feeding tube.

Although supporters of the Schindlers began to explore other legal remedies, it became increasingly clear that their options were diminishing, and that powerful supporters in Washington and Florida would not come to their assistance.

Only days after George Bush took the extraordinary step of rushing through a law in Congress to compel the federal court to hear the Schindlers' case, the White House indicated yesterday there would be no further reprieves for Ms Schiavo, who spent her sixth day without food or water yesterday.

"We felt like the action taken by Congress was the best course of action," Mr Bush told a press conference in Waco, Texas. "Now we will watch the courts make decisions."

In Washington, the White House spokesman, Scott McClellan, was even more definitive. "There really are no other legal options available to us."

But the statement was also seen as acknowledgement that Mr Bush's previous intervention in the Terri Schiavo affair had raised concerns among fellow conservatives opposed to blurring of lines between the executive and the judiciary.

It also proved politically unpopular with mainstream America - despite passionate support for efforts to prolong Ms Schiavo's life among Chris tian Conservatives. The word from the White House arrived as a crushing blow for Robert and Mary Schindler, who have fought a vituperative campaign against efforts by their son-in-law, Michael Schiavo, to disconnect his wife's life support.

Ms Schiavo has been in a persistent vegetative state for 15 years, and majority medical opinion has said she has no chance of recovering any brain function.

By early yesterday, it appeared the Schindlers' legal options were dwindling after the federal appeals court in Atlanta refused to reverse the order of a lower court and order the reconnection of their daughter's feeding tube.

Within hours, the Schindlers had filed a motion seeking a review of the ruling by all 12 judges on the court. There was also talk of an appeal to the US supreme court.

But it was becoming clear the Schindlers were investing their real hopes in building support within the bedrock of the Republican party, as well as in Hollywood.

Their website yesterday posted messages of support from Mel Gibson, and sympathy from the singers Randy Travis and Pat Boone.

"I fully support the efforts of Mr and Mrs Schindler to save their daughter, Terri Schiavo, from a cruel starvation," wrote Gibson. "Terri's husband should sign the care of his wife over to her parents."

Meanwhile, other supporters stepped up their vigil outside the Florida hospice where Ms Schiavo spent her sixth day without nutrition yesterday.

Ten activists were arrested for trespass after theatrical attempts to deliver water to Ms Schiavo.