Pro-life advocates are launching an e-mail campaign in an attempt to save the life of a young woman injured by a drug overdose who now is facing the possibility of a court-ordered death by dehydration and starvation.

WND previously has reported on the case involve Randy Richardson, who is fighting his ex-wife, the medical establishment and the court system for the life of his 23-year-old daughter, Lauren Marie Richardson.

"She's committed no crime and doesn't deserve to have this death imposed on her," he told the Wilmington, Del., News Journal earlier, citing the case that carries striking parallels to the 2005 death of Terri Schiavo in Florida.

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The woman was injured by a drug overdose in 2006 and never has recovered fully from the brain damage she suffered, he said. Court records reveal she was pregnant at the time and was kept on feeding tubes and a breathing machine in Christiana Hospital until her baby girl was born in February 2007.

But she no longer needs a breathing machine and earlier this year a court order was issued – and appealed – that could allow the removal of her feeding tube, and her resulting death, the newspaper reported.

Her condition is revealed in a video that has been posted on YouTube:

The Schiavo case, on which WND reported exhaustively, ended in March 2005 when Terri died, despite a battle by her parents to overturn a court order allowing the same treatment, the removal of her feeding tube.

Now in the Richardson case, Judie Brown of American Life League said those who are concerned about the situation can help.

"The governor of Delaware, Ruth Ann Minner, is being asked by pro-life Americans across this nation to intervene in this case in order to save Lauren from what many fear is an imminent court order dictating that Lauren be starved and dehydrated to death," she announced. "I am asking you to be one of those who communicates your passionate belief that Lauren's life is sacred and deserves to be protected from those who would order her death. The governor's e-mail address is governor.minner@state.de.us."

Brown wrote this week that "it has been a source of ongoing sadness to read of the difficulties Lauren Richardson's father has had over the course of the past several months.

"For those of you who are not familiar with her case, Lauren overdosed on heroin on August 28, 2006. She suffered oxygen deprivation as a result of the overdose and Lauren is now ... unable to speak out for herself. At the time of the overdose Lauren was expecting a baby. Her parents honored what they knew would have been her wish and did all they could to keep her healthy and comfortable until the child was born. Today, though Lauren may not be aware of it, she is the mother of Ember Grace, who was born in February 2007," she wrote.

"Since the birth of her daughter Lauren remains unable to speak of her concerns, but she has a loving father who is doing all he can to protect her from suffering the same fate as Terri Schiavo. However, Lauren's mother, who has been named her legal guardian, is sadly not of the same opinion and is working with attorneys to pressure the courts to permit Lauren's starvation," she said.

In a recent update, Lauren's father confirmed, "We struggle at times as we seek to share with the public the details of what is happening with Lauren because of the disagreement we have with Lauren's mother. We cannot understand her reasoning in refusing a path of hope, healing and restoration for Lauren and insisting on causing her death by withholding food and water from her. The issue in Lauren's case is the eternal truth that all people, no matter what their medical condition, bear the image of God and deserve basic care and an opportunity to be restored to health."

A priest who was with Terri Schiavo during her final hours in this life later told WND society has it all wrong – because it does not understand the difference between a futile treatment and a futile life.

Father Frank Pavone, of Priests for Life, said even healthy people, if brain-injured, are in danger under the current precedent of cases.

"Terry left no indication that she wanted to be deprived of food and water. Yet the courts insisted that this happen. Nor was Terri lacking a family ready to care for her, without complaint. Yet they were not allowed to," he said.

Terri Schiavo

"Many people fear that they will be given all kinds of machines and medicines against their will," Pavone told WND. "What they should fear is exactly the opposite, namely, that even when they indicate that they want appropriate treatments, these will be denied them."

It was in January when a Delaware court awarded guardianship of Lauren Richardson to her mother, Edith Towers, who has told the newspaper her daughter would want artificial life support ended.

Randy Richardson then filed an appeal of the ruling from Master Sam Glasscock III of Delaware Court of Chancery giving that guardianship to Towers.

Randy Richardson told the newspaper the daughter he once knew is no longer there, and she did not leave any documentation of her desires in such circumstances, but he maintains she has made progress, no longer needing a ventilator, and could be able respond further at some point, with time and therapy.

The mother, through her attorney, has declined comment.

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Previous stories:

Dad, mom fight over starving brain-damaged daughter

'No such thing as a worthless life'

WorldNetDaily has been reporting on the Terri Schiavo story since 2002 - far longer than most other national news organizations - and exposing the many troubling, scandalous, and possibly criminal, aspects of the case that to this day rarely surface in news reports. Read WorldNetDaily's unparalleled, in-depth coverage of the life-and-death fight over Terri Schiavo, including over 150 original stories and columns.