Health Care Concerns Highlight Importance for Terri's Day Mass

Contact: Brimstone Services, 615-941-8207, pr@brimstoneservices.com

ST. PETERSBURG, Feb. 11, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network is happy to announce that Ave Maria University will once again host "The National Mass for Terri's Day" at the Ave Maria Oratory at Ave Maria University, located near Naples, Florida.

The International Day of Prayer and Remembrance for Terri Schindler Schiavo, and All of Our Vulnerable Brothers and Sisters ("Terri's Day") was established in 2007 and is observed each year on March 31, the date of Terri's death. Father Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, will join us again this year as the main celebrant for the mass.

The purpose of this day is to foster education, prayer, and activism regarding discrimination against the cognitively disabled, and advocacy for people in situations similar to what Terri and her family faced.

"We must continue to raise the awareness of the potential threat of hospital 'ethics committees' across the country that are seeking to remove basic care, food and water even from those who are not terminally ill. Right now, in all but ten states, doctors and hospitals have been empowered to disregard advance directives even in cases when they call for treatment is food and water", noted Terri's brother, Bobby Schindler.

"With the growing concern of health care rationing and the government wanting to get involved in our health care decisions, this issue will get much worse."

All are invited to attend "The National Mass for Terri's Day" on Thursday, March 31st, 2011 at 5:00 PM ET. Address: Ave Maria University 5050 Ave Maria Boulevard, Ave Maria, FL 34142-9505

You can visit Terri's Network (www.TerrisFight.org) to learn more about defending the medically vulnerable. Terri's website also provides suggestions for observing Terri's Day and how you can get involved.

About Terri's Network
Terri's Network (www.terrisfight.org) was established by the surviving family members of Terri Schiavo to protect the rights of people with cognitive disabilities. It has communicated with and supported more than 1,000 families, and has been involved in hundreds of cases since Terri's Death. Terri's Network was the recipient of the Gerard Health Foundation Life Prizes Award for their efforts in protecting the value and dignity of the profoundly brain injured.