ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — More than twenty years after Terri Schiavo's death sparked a national right-to-life debate, her family returned to court Tuesday seeking to unseal records from her guardianship case.
WATCH: Terri Schiavo's family seeks to unseal guardianship records 20 years after her death
An attorney for Schiavo's mother, Mary Schindler, and brother, Bobby Schindler, and the non-profit Terri Schiavo Life and Hope Network appeared before the Florida Second District Court of Appeals in St. Petersburg, arguing that sealed records from Terri's guardianship should be made public.
"This was one of the most-watched right-to-life cases in history. You had statements from the Pope and President. You had acts of Congress. To say these records don't hold anything of relevance, I don't think that passes the sniff test," said Jeremy Balie, the Schindler family and foundation’s attorney.
Balie argued in the appeal that unsealing the records would promote transparency and help advocate for the rights of people in guardianship.
However, Michael Schiavo's attorney, Hamden Baskin, opposed the request, arguing that state law protects the privacy of guardianship records even after death.
"Think about the chilling effect you would have for people to know that yes, everything that happens in this guardianship is confidential. But after you die at some point, it could be put all in the public," Baskin said.
The judges questioned why the family waited 20 years to seek records.
"And it took 20 years to figure this out? Is that what you're really saying? Why so long? Why this passage of time to unseal these documents all of the sudden now?" one judge asked.
The Schindler family's attorney responded that "They truly just want to understand what happened so they can continue their advocacy efforts and further explain what happened to Terri in those final days."
Terri Schiavo's case made international news after she suffered cardiac arrest at age 26 and sustained severe brain damage, leaving her in a permanently vegetative state.
Her husband, Michael, who served as her legal guardian, said she wouldn't want to live that way and advocated for her feeding tube to be removed. Her parents and siblings fought to keep her alive, believing she would recover.
The legal battle continued for years until Terri's feeding tube was removed in 2005. Her father, Robert Schindler, who had vowed to "fight for Terri with every ounce of strength that we have," has since passed away, but his wife, Mary, and son, Bobby, continue the legal fight.
The judges did not make a decision during the hearing.
Their ruling is expected in the coming weeks.
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