U.S. lawmakers rushed to try to approve legislation that could prolong the life of a brain-damaged Florida woman before her feeding tube is removed on Friday. Lawmakers were trying to work out legislation that would give the federal courts a role in Terri Schiavo's case before the 1 p.m. Friday deadline for the removal of a feeding tube. Florida state courts have already ruled repeatedly in the case during the last seven years. "The question is, should we allow her to be starved to death?" said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican, who urged the Senate to act late Thursday or perhaps early Friday. The Senate bill is more narrowly drafted than one approved by the House late Wednesday night, and it is far from certain that the differences could be worked out in time. Schiavo's parents appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday, saying her due process and religious freedom rights had been violated in the Florida state courts. But the high court has refused to intervene twice before. --More 2334 Local Time 2034 GMT
