Isn’t it funny how Republicans love to preach sovereignty for states, except when they disagree with laws the states have passed? Attorney General John Ashcroft is trying to nullify Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act, an assisted-suicide law passed by Oregon voters in 1996 and 1998. Ashcroft is bullying doctors and patients into following his moral values, and he needs to leave Oregon alone.
On Nov. 6, Ashcroft’s Justice Department issued a letter to the Drug Enforcement Agency instructing federal agents to pursue physicians who prescribe lethal quantities of drugs to assist terminally ill patients in suicide. This new interpretation of the federal Controlled Substances Act overturns a 1998 decision by former Attorney General Janet Reno. Reno said the government did not have the authority to pursue or prosecute doctors.
The viability of Ashcroft’s proposal is murky at best. He is merely quibbling over a few pills; assisted suicide opponents usually offer end-of-life care with sufficient prescribed medication as an alternative. But thanks to Ashcroft’s action, it may become more difficult to offer higher doses of controlled substances. The loss of patient rights will have a chilling effect on pain care for all Americans facing the end of life.
The federal government is interfering with the will of Oregonians for no apparent reason. At a time when the country is supposed to be united in the wake of tragedy, Ashcroft is blatantly dividing America to fulfill his own moral agenda. Ashcroft and his hypocritical cronies are hurting the sanctity of democracy and needlessly angering a lot of people at a very inopportune time.
It’s disturbing that Ashcroft would override the will of the voters in this way, and we hope that when Ashcroft reaches the end of his life, his choices aren’t as constrained as the Oregon voters he’s opposing.