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It’s impossible to understand the pain and suffering of a
terminally ill person, not just as a result of physical ailment,
but also when deciding whether to undergo doctor-assisted suicide.
That’s exactly why it’s appropriate for no one but that
person to make such a decision.
But Attorney General John Ashcroft doesn’t agree. On
Tuesday, he stopped the use of federally-controlled drugs for the
purposes of doctor-assisted suicides. Currently, Oregon is the only
state in which assisted suicide is legal, due to a state law that
previous U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno declined to
challenge.
The Oregon law did not allow for the reckless practice of
assisted suicide. It required two doctors to diagnose patients as
only having six months or less left to live, and it required that
patients be capable of making the decision themselves. The law was
passed overwhelmingly by Oregon voters twice.
The law is the latest victim of Ashcroft’s and the U.S.
government’s disregard for civil liberties.
The intensely personal decision to end one’s life is just
that: personal. Infringing on this right violates the notion that
every American citizen has the right to pursue happiness,
regardless of how it is found. It instead extends the misery of
patients who have already undergone enough suffering.
For someone who believes so strongly in a right to life,
it’s a bit problematic that Ashcroft wants to take away the
corresponding right to make decisions about that life.