Just discovered this blog today: Obsidianwings. Great post I think from today, explains the Schiavo case very well, and contains a pic of Terri Schiavo's brain scan vs. a normal brain (courtesy of Alas, a blog). Note: Buzzmachine made the original find.
From Obsidian's post:
The cerebral cortex is responsible for cognition and the integration of sensation. Terri Schiavo's cerebral cortex is not only dead; it has liquified. If her cerebral cortex were still there but for some reason not working, then there might be hope that she could recover. But in her case, it's gone. In order for her to recover, it would have to be literally recreated. Here, via Alas, a blog, is a scan of Terri Schiavo's brain and a healthy brain: 
My understanding is that the dark bits are spinal fluid; and thus that the fact that the scan of Terri Schiavo's brain shows huge dark areas, both in the center and elsewhere, indicates that an awful lot of her brain has been replaced by
spinal fluid. I am not a doctor, of course. But Rivka, who is, writes: "The amount of brain tissue missing is truly shocking." And PZ Meyers adds: "I am not a medical doctor, but I do have that Ph.D. in neuroscience (I am eminently qualified to analyze the brains of fish and insects), and that is one ghastly mess. That's not much of a brain, it's a balloon bobbing about in there." (In using these quotes, I mean no disrespect to Ms. Schiavo, for whom I have nothing but sympathy.)
Read the rest here.
And here is a link to the text of the emergency legislation signed by President Bush in the wee hours Monday morning. Key para that effectively has Congress voiding all prior court decisions and asking the federal court to start anew:
SEC. 2. PROCEDURE.
Any parent of Theresa Marie Schiavo shall have standing to bring a suit under this Act. The suit may be brought against any other person who was a party to State court proceedings relating to the withholding or withdrawal of food, fluids, or medical treatment necessary to sustain the life of Theresa Marie Schiavo, or who may act pursuant to a State court order authorizing or directing the withholding or withdrawal of food, fluids, or medical treatment necessary to sustain her life. In such a suit, the District Court shall determine de novo any claim of a violation of any right of Theresa Marie Schiavo within the scope of this Act, notwithstanding any prior State court determination and regardless of whether such a claim has previously been raised, considered, or decided in State court proceedings. ...and then the Congress doubles back to make sure their spiffy new law never applies to anyone else...
SEC. 5. NO CHANGE OF SUBSTANTIVE RIGHTS. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to create substantive rights not otherwise secured by the Constitution and laws of the United States or of the several States.
SEC. 6. NO EFFECT ON ASSISTING SUICIDE. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to confer additional jurisdiction on any court to consider any claim related-- (1) to assisting suicide, or(2) a State law regarding assisting suicide. [This next bit is positivly Bush v. Gore...] SEC. 7. NO PRECEDENT FOR FUTURE LEGISLATION. Nothing in this Act shall constitute a precedent with respect to future legislation, including the provision of private relief bills. SEC. 8. NO AFFECT ON THE PATIENT SELF-DETERMINATION ACT OF 1990. Nothing in this Act shall affect the rights of any person under the Patient Self- Determination Act of 1990.
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