House of Representatives leaders in the US have issued subpoenas to prevent the withdrawal of a feeding tube from a brain-damaged Florida woman in a last-ditch bid to keep the woman alive.
The legal tug-of-war over the fate of Terri Schiavo has been ongoing for more than a decade and has captivated Americans on both sides of the euthanasia debate.
Earlier, Senators in the Congress failed to back a lower house bill to keep Terri Schiavo, 41, alive.
Mrs Schiavo's parents have been locked in a legal battle with her husband, who wants her to be allowed to die. Mr Schiavo, who is his wife's legal guardian, has said his wife would not want to be kept alive in her current condition.
Florida courts have so far rejected efforts by the parents to stop the feeding tube from being removed. The US Supreme Court has refused to step in to rule on a fresh appeal from her parents to intervene in the case.
Mrs Schiavo suffered brain damage after her heart stopped because of a chemical imbalance believed to have been brought on by an eating disorder.
A number of doctors say she is in a persistent vegetative state and is unlikely to recover.
