A US federal appeals court in Atlanta today refused to order the reinsertion of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube, denying an emergency request by the severely brain-damaged woman's parents.
The condition of Mrs Schiavo, is now seen to be deteriorating rapidly and the restoration of nutrition looks increasingly unlikely.
The three-judge panel ruled 2-1 to deny the request, a day after a federal judge in Florida also refused a similar appeal.
Schiavo 's parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, vowed yet another appeal today.
"The Schindlers will be filing an appropriate appeal to save their daughter's life," said attorney Rex Sparklin.
The Schindlers said yesterday that their daughter was "fading quickly" and might die at any moment. The feeding tube was disconnected on Friday, and doctors have said that Mrs Schiavo ( 41) could survive one to two weeks without water and nutrients.
Mrs Schiavo did not have a living will. Her husband, Michael Schiavo, has fought in courts for years to have the tube removed because he said she would not want to be kept alive artificially and she has no hope for recovery. She suffered brain damage in 1990 when her heart stopped briefly because of a possible potassium imbalance brought on by an eating disorder.
The issue has become deeply partisan, with Republicans claiming to champion her right to life and Democrats accusing Republicans of hypocrisy.
In Florida yesterday, federal judge James Whittimore refused to order the reinsertion of Terri Schiavo's feeding tube. The case had been referred to the federal court under a law passed by Congress and signed by President George Bush under intense pressure from conservative Christian groups across the US.
The law allowed the 41-year-old woman's parents to request a federal court to order the reinsertion of the feeding tube, which was removed under state law.
After Judge Whittimore ruled that they had not established a "substantial likelihood of success" at trial, the parents' lawyer filed a notice of appeal to the 11th US Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Georgia.