Assisted Suicide

**barrk** · Apr 17th, 2002, 12:38 PM

Federal judge rules in favor of Oregon assisted suicide law
April 17, 2002 Posted: 12:45 PM EDT (1645 GMT)

PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) -- A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the U.S. Justice Department lacks the authority to overturn an Oregon law allowing physician-assisted suicides.

U.S. District Judge Robert Jones scolded Attorney General John Ashcroft in the written opinion, saying Ashcroft "with no advance warning to Oregon ... fired the first shot in the battle between the state of Oregon and the federal government."

Jones said Ashcroft attempted to "stifle an ongoing, earnest and profound debate in the various states concerning physician-assisted suicide" with a directive he issued November 6 declaring that assisted suicide was not a "legitimate medical practices.

"The citizens of Oregon, through their democratic initiative process, have chosen to resolve the moral, legal and ethical debate on physician-assisted suicide for themselves by voting -- not once, but twice -- in favor of the Oregon act," Jones wrote.

The Oregon Death With Dignity Act was approved by voters in 1994 and overwhelmingly affirmed three years later when it was returned to the ballot following a failed legal challenge.

The law allows terminally ill patients with less than six months to live to request a lethal dose of drugs after two doctors confirm the diagnosis and judge the patient mentally competent to make the request.

Jones said Wednesday that the state had followed the wishes of the Supreme Court by striking a proper balance between the interests of the terminally ill and the government's responsibility to protect them.

Gov. John Kitzhaber, who is a physician, signed the assisted suicide law in 1998. Since then, at least 91 people have used the law to end their lives, most of them suffering from cancer.

But Ashcroft issued a directive on Nov. 6 that would have banned any lethal prescriptions, deciding they did not meet a "legitimate medical purpose" under the federal Controlled Substances Act.

Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers challenged the directive in court.

Supporters of the Oregon law contended a ruling in favor of Ashcroft would have had a "chilling effect" on nationwide care for the terminally ill. They argued that "aggressive pain management" is considered legitimate medical care even if it may increase the chance of a patient's death.

Steve Bushong, a deputy Oregon attorney general who has defended the state law, argued that regulating doctors has always been the sole responsibility of the states.

Bushong said Congress intended only to prevent illegal drug trafficking by doctors under the Controlled Substances Act, and it left any decisions about medical practice up to the states.

Attorneys representing an Oregon doctor, a pharmacist and several terminally ill patients joined the state against Ashcroft, arguing that even if he did believe he had authority to ban the Oregon law, he did not follow proper procedure to issue the directive.

Judge Jones criticized Ashcroft in court early in the case, calling the directive an "edict" that Ashcroft issued without hearings. Ashcroft's order reversed a 1998 opinion by former Attorney General Janet Reno.

**Suidae** · Apr 17th, 2002, 12:48 PM

The feds should have kept their nose out of state business to begin with....

**barrk** · Apr 17th, 2002, 12:50 PM

Very true Mr. Wizard!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Ali G** · Apr 17th, 2002, 01:02 PM

da feds came round me 'ouse wunce, lookin' fa da crack

so I show'd dem me Julie's punani, den dey left, aiiiiiii

Den I gave julie da best bonin' eva

**markman** · Apr 17th, 2002, 02:34 PM

I see nothing wrong with euthenasia, or the death penalty.

just a little IMO

**Suzzi** · Apr 17th, 2002, 02:46 PM

Originally posted by markman
I see nothing wrong with euthenasia, or the death penalty.

just a little IMO

Ew! No! I hate those old 80's bands.

**barrk** · Apr 17th, 2002, 02:49 PM

I can see you'll fit right in here Suzzi!!!!!!!!

**Suzzi** · Apr 17th, 2002, 02:50 PM

**JPicasso** · Apr 17th, 2002, 03:58 PM

So Suzzi, how did you come about these little forums?

I mean, a potential doctor working as an office assistant don't usually
paruse Visual Basic Help forums, do they?

**Suzzi** · Apr 17th, 2002, 04:00 PM

I'm learning VB 6 at night school and I was surfing for stuff on that when I found this site. I sorta got sucked into chit-chat and haven't been able to drag myself out.

**barrk** · Apr 17th, 2002, 04:06 PM

speaking of sucking and being in drag....have you met any of the more colorful "locals" around here?

If not you're in for a treat!

**Wally Pipp** · Apr 17th, 2002, 04:09 PM

Originally posted by Some Bloke In The Pub
vB ? Hah ! The only vB a man needs comes out of a can or a bottle. Pansie lazy-arsed programmers. Dunno what a real man's job is. Couldn't distinguish sweat from cat's piss if their life depended on it. vB ... my big hairy sweaty backside !

**chrisjk** · Apr 17th, 2002, 04:11 PM

Originally posted by barrk
speaking of sucking and being in drag....have you met any of the more colorful "locals" around here? If not you're in for a treat!

are you saying i'm not colourful?

**barrk** · Apr 17th, 2002, 04:12 PM

Originally posted by Wally Pipp
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Some Bloke In The Pub
vB ? Hah ! The only vB a man needs comes out of a can or a bottle. Pansie lazy-arsed programmers. Dunno what a real man's job is. Couldn't distinguish sweat from cat's piss if their life depended on it. vB ... my big hairy sweaty backside !

You speak out of school that way! What's said in the pub, stays in the pub!!!!!! Anyway, Jethro didn't mean it!

**Suzzi** · Apr 17th, 2002, 04:14 PM

Originally posted by barrk
speaking of sucking and being in drag....have you met any of the more colorful "locals" around here? If not you're in for a treat!

Yes, a few have been introducing themselves to me. It's made me feel most welcome

**barrk** · Apr 17th, 2002, 04:14 PM

Originally posted by chrisjk
are you saying i'm not colourful?

I'd never say you're not colorful, Chris....you're just not "colorful"!

**chrisjk** · Apr 17th, 2002, 04:15 PM

Originally posted by barrk
I'd never say you're not colorful, Chris....you're just not "colorful"!

I see

**Pix** · Apr 17th, 2002, 04:52 PM

You're colourful Chris

**ghost ryder** · Apr 17th, 2002, 05:03 PM

im colourful...well my language is, lol

Aerials · Apr 17th, 2002, 05:23 PM

*sigh* programmers...

lol
by the way suzi how come u have 0 posts? or is taht just me

**Suzzi** · Apr 17th, 2002, 07:58 PM

Apparently I'm not good enough to earn posts. I'll just have to try harder

**SjR** · Apr 18th, 2002, 03:28 AM

My husband and I have made a decision regarding this. If I'm in a bad way - he will help me to die. If he is in a bad way, I will help him to die (we have our own definitions of what "in a bad way" includes - shan't post the graphic details here though

)

PS Hi Suzzi, welcome to CC

**Wally Pipp** · Apr 18th, 2002, 03:35 AM

Some idiots around here are assisting in suicide. Their own

**SurfDemon** · Apr 18th, 2002, 11:23 AM

Originally posted by SjR
My husband and I have made a decision regarding this. If I'm in a bad way - he will help me to die. If he is in a bad way, I will help him to die (we have our own definitions of what "in a bad way" includes - shan't post the graphic details here though )

PS Hi Suzzi, welcome to CC

Yeah, my wife and I have a similar agreement. If she's suffering in a bad way I'll kill her, and once my $1,000,000 insurance is okayed, she'll kill me...., er hang on....

P.s. Hi Suzzi

Aerials · Apr 18th, 2002, 05:18 PM

again:
*sigh* programmes...
lol
p.s. hi suzzi( every one is saying it so I thought Id join in lol

)

**cafeenman** · Apr 18th, 2002, 05:31 PM

Originally posted by chrisjk
are you saying i'm not colourful?

Is gray a color? I think you're tinted.

**Nightwalker83** · Apr 18th, 2002, 10:45 PM

Originally posted by markman
I see nothing wrong with euthenasia, or the death penalty.

just a little IMO

I agree with you on that one

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