Thank goodness the Supreme Court decided Gonzales vs. Oregon before Sam Alito’s likely confirmation.
Yesterday's decision upheld Oregon’s reasonable, voter-approved assisted suicide law against an attack mounted by the Bush administration to placate the same folks who turned Terri Schiavo into an intubated human billboard for their demented religious authoritarianism last year.
Oregon’s law exempts licensed physicians from prosecution for prescribing a lethal dose of drugs to terminally ill patients of sound mind who want to die. Dissenting from the 6-3 majority, Antonin Scalia said drugs that allow a person to die the way they choose have no “legitimate medical purpose.”
The other two dissenters were – surprise, surprise - John Roberts and Clarence Thomas. Anyone doubt where Alito would’ve fallen on this?
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
3 comments:
Luckily, even with Alito, it would have been 5-4, right? Does that still count? My Supreme Court Math is rusty. I have the feeling that the extra right-winginess of the new people on the Court is going to push the moderates the other direction. At least I hope so...
The decision essentially just slapped down Ashcrofts opinion, it didn't really address the constitutionality of assisted suicide. It keeps the door open for Congress passing legislation against it and if that happens, Alito will be on the court by then.
Guess we'd better hope John Paul Stevens doesn't retire or die anytime soon.
Post a Comment