The United States Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a plea from the parents of a brain-damaged Florida woman that her feeding tube be reconnected.
The dismissal is a blow to Bob and Mary Schindler's seven-year legal fight to prolong their daughter Terri Schiavo's life.
Schiavo's feeding tube was removed six days ago.
The 41-year-old woman, who suffered brain damage from a heart attack when she was 26, had her feeding tube removed following a state court order.
She had been expected to live a week to two after the tube's removal.
Whether she lived or died depended on a legal dispute between her parents and her husband Michael Schiavo.
The Supreme Court last week refused to get involved in the Schiavo case.
State courts have consistently supported Michael in his stance that his wife is in a persistent vegetative state and would not want to live in this condition.
AGENCIES
