In an unusual television interview and in open letters to state and federal lawmakers Tuesday, Schiavo and attorney George Felos said state and federal measures aimed at keeping Terri Schiavo alive will interfere with everyone's right to refuse life-prolonging medical treatment.

In an interview with ABC News' ``Nightline'' taped Tuesday afternoon, Schiavo broke his silence to chastise politicians whom he said are ``pandering to the religious right, to the people up there, the antiabortion people, standing outside of Tallahassee.''

Felos urged politicians to study the facts of the seven- year legal dispute over the brain-damaged woman's wishes. In letters sent to both the Florida and U.S. Senates, Felos said his client has been the subject of an ``unprecedented campaign of misinformation ... in an effort to impair every citizen's constitutional right to refuse or have withdrawn unwanted medical treatment.''

Michael Schiavo said he was speaking in response to ``outrageous'' proposed legislation.

``It's really uncomprehensible to think that a private family matter that has gone through the judiciary system for the past seven years - I mean we are talking all the way up to the United States Supreme Court - and for a governor to come into this without any education on the subject and push his personal views ...

``We might as well not have any state courts.''

Schiavo also expressed frustration at his in-laws' ability to keep their daughter alive through an Internet-driven publicity campaign that in 2003 prompted Gov. Jeb Bush to intervene in the case.

Bob and Mary Schindler want Schiavo to divorce their daughter so they can get her therapy that they say could allow her to eat on her own and interact with others.

They refuse to believe medical experts who have convinced courts their daughter is in a persistent vegetative state with no hope of improvement since suffering heart failure in 1990 at age 26. The Schindlers also dispute their son-in-law's contention that she would not want to be kept alive with the help of a feeding tube inserted into her stomach.

``To sit here and be called a murderer and an adulterer by people that don't know me, and a governor stepping into my personal, private life, who doesn't know me either ... what kind of government is this?'' Schiavo said.

``This is not right. And I'm telling everybody you better call your congressman, because they are going to run your life.''

The Internet video clips that appear to show Terri Schiavo interacting with her mother are ``small segments ... which they edited from the six hours of court-ordered medical examinations,'' Felos wrote in his letter to senators.