This is a printer friendly version of an article from
www.goupstate.com
To print this article open the file menu and choose
Print.
Back
Article published Mar 22, 2005
Local legislators speed back to D.C. for Schiavo
vote
All day Sunday, U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis kept close watch on
his Blackberry messages as the Republican leadership in Washington sent out
updates on the Terri Schiavo bill."Finally, there was a message that said the
vote would take place at 12:01 (a.m.), and we need you back up here," said Price
Atkinson, spokesman for the 4th District congressman.Atkinson said Inglis caught
an 8:30 p.m. flight from Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport to
Washington and went straight to the Capitol after he landed."After the vote, he
got into bed about 1 a.m. and got up for an 8 o'clock flight back this morning,"
Atkinson said Monday afternoon.The House vote gave a federal court the authority
to intervene in the Schiavo case. It brought to a close four days of frantic
trips back to Washington and emotional debate in House chambers.A Florida court
ordered the feeding tube that had kept Schiavo alive for 15 years removed on
Friday.Approval of the House bill clears the way for a federal court to override
the state and possibly order the feeding tube reactivated.The bill succeeded by
a 203-58 vote. Inglis voted in favor of the bill.John Spratt, the 5th District
congressman who represents Cherokee County, also had a speedy return Sunday to
Capitol Hill. He cast one of the "no" votes.Robert Hopkins, Spratt's district
administrator in Rock Hill, said Sunday's vote came as a complete surprise to
the Democratic congressman."Due to commitments in the district, he didn't
receive the message until Sunday morning," Hopkins said. "He flew out from
Charlotte Sunday night at 9 p.m. and got there in time for a little bit of the
debate."A House rule that said such a vote could not take place until Monday
gave Republican leaders time to get at least 218 of the 435 House members back
to Washington for Sunday evening's debate and the vote just after midnight.Sen.
Lindsey Graham's spokesman, Wes Hickman, said Graham was in South Carolina on
Sunday afternoon when the Senate voice vote was taken.Wesley Denton, spokesman
for Sen. Jim DeMint, said since it was a voice vote, there was no record of how
senators voted. He said DeMint was home with his family when the vote in the
Senate was taken.The New York Timescontributed to this report.Gary Henderson can
be reached at 562-7230or gary.henderson@shj.com.