minute legislation that could stop or at least postpone the removal of the feeding tube. But some members of Congress decided there was no time to waste and began pushing for a federal role in the case that has become a lightning rod for ethical controversy about the end of life. In Pinellas Park, Florida, demonstrators held a prayer vigil outside the Woodside Hospice caring for Schiavo. Frist, a physician, characterized Schiavo as a "living person who has a level of consciousness" but cannot feed herself. Frist has not examined Schiavo but consulted with a neurologist. Florida courts have reviewed medical testimony and concluded she is in a persistent vegetative state; her own doctors said she was not responsive. Schiavo's parents, who oppose removing the feeding tube, have been fighting her husband and legal guardian, Michael Schiavo, in state courts since 1998. --More 2336 Local Time 2036 GMT
