by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
Terri Schiavo’s brother thanked The Justice Coalition and founder Ted Hires on Thursday for offering support during his sister’s right-to-life struggle that turned into a national political controversy.
Speaking at the Coalition’s “Together We Can Breakfast” at the San Jose Country Club, Bobby Schindler said Hires had helped tell the family’s side of its legal struggle to keep Terri alive by publishing numerous stories in The Victim’s Advocate, the Coalition’s paper.
“Those stories helped get the truth out there when people couldn’t get the facts from the Associated Press,” said Schindler.
The Coalition also helped rally political support among area legislators to help pass “Terri’s Law,” a bill passed during the October 2004 special legislative session that temporarily kept Schiavo alive until a court order removed her feeding tube, said Schindler.
The breakfast was a fundraiser for The Justice Coalition, but Hires wasn’t the only one there trying to raise money.
Florida gubernatorial candidate Tom Gallagher, currently the state’s chief financial officer, sat at Hires’ table. He said fundraising was his early preoccupation as he prepares to try to replace Gov. Jeb Bush, who has reached his two-term limit for the office.
“We’re moving rapidly to shore up financing and settle on the issues that I plan to emphasize,” said Gallagher. “I think I’ll do well in Duval County, I’ve always received fantastic support here.”