``Unless a court orders otherwise, when the mandate is issued, then the life support will be discontinued,'' attorney George Felos said.

Felos was referring to the 2nd District Court of Appeal's announced intention to formalize its latest ruling in the Terri Schiavo case by issuing what is known as a mandate at 1 p.m. today.

A circuit court stay that prohibits Schiavo from removing his brain-damaged wife's feeding tube is set to expire immediately when the appeals court issues the mandate.

Circuit Judge George Greer on Monday declined to extend that stay as requested by Bob and Mary Schindler, who have fought to keep their daughter alive against their son-in-law's wishes.

Greer also postponed a hearing on the Schindlers' emergency request for a new stay. The hearing was to have been Monday afternoon but now will be Wednesday afternoon.

Schindler attorney David Gibbs noted that could result in Terri Schiavo being denied nutrition and hydration for more than 24 hours if her husband removes the tube and a court later issues a stay requiring it to be reinserted.

``We don't need to rush to Terri's death,'' Gibbs said. ``I don't know why Mr. Felos and the guardian [Michael Schiavo] are so bent on just killing her. It's kind of barbaric.''

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, who presides over emergency matters for Southeastern states, also will be asked to issue a stay while the Schindlers again ask the high court to intervene, Gibbs said.

In the past, Greer has expressed doubt whether Michael Schiavo can find a medical professional to remove his wife's feeding tube without a specific court order.

Felos declined to say whom his client intends to have remove the feeding tube, or whether Michael Schiavo, a registered nurse, would perform the procedure himself.

On Monday, Greer's judicial assistant said the judge will not consider issuing any order, whether for or against removing the tube, until he sees the state appeal court's mandate.

Bob Schindler said he and his wife again are bracing for the worst while praying that their daughter will be kept alive while the fight over her final wishes continues.

Michael Schiavo and his in- laws have been locked in a battle over Terri Schiavo's wishes almost seven years. His doctors say she is in a persistent vegetative state and that most of her brain was destroyed when her heart failed in 1990 at age 26. The Schindlers contend she reacts to them and could improve with therapy.

After a nonjury trial in 2000, Greer ruled Terri Schiavo made statements to her husband and his relatives indicating she would not want to be kept alive by artificial means with no hope of improvement.

The Schindlers contend their daughter never made such statements and say she talked of divorce before her heart failed.

Greer should issue a new stay so the couple can appeal the issue of whether recent statements by Pope John Paul II would have changed their daughter's wishes, Schindler attorney Gibbs said Monday.

Last year, the pope said people in a persistent vegetative state should receive nutrition and hydration. The Schindlers contend their daughter is a devout Catholic who would not act against the pope's advice.

Keyword: Schiavo, for background information on the case.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.