Between Life & Death revisits the story of Terri Schiavo, a deeply personal decade-long saga that captivated the country and forced Americans to reckon with profound issues at the intersection of faith and politics that reverberate to this day. At only 26, Terri suffered a brain injury that left her in a persistent vegetative state, with no hope of recovery. While Terri’s husband wanted to let her die, her parents insisted she be kept alive. What began as a personal family dispute in local Florida courts escalated into an international news event and seminal right-to-die legal battle, involving the highest levels of government. Using an exceptional wealth of archival footage, this film examines how politicians and activists on the religious right harnessed Terri’s story and the power of the “pro-life” movement for political gain, laying the groundwork for a post-Roe America. Both an intimate portrait of a family divided and a rigorously reported examination of religious influence in America, Between Life & Death weaves together past and present to ask universal questions about the government’s role in our private lives and who gets to decide if a life is worth living.
Courtesy of NBC News Studios, MSNBC Films, and Latchkey Films