The first publicly announced assisted suicides
legal under Oregon law have not yet stimulated U.S. Attorney General Janet
Reno to issue her long-awaited decision on whether to affirm or reverse
the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) ruling that it is a violation
of federal law to use federally controlled substances, such as narcotics
and other dangerous drugs, to assist suicides.
Last November 14, nine days after DEA Administrator Thomas Constantine released
a letter containing the ruling, Reno announced that his letter had been
issued without her knowledge or approval, and that the Justice Department
would review the DEA's position. At the time, the review was expected to
take about a week and a half. Earlier this year the (Portland) Oregonian
reported that the internal review had called for overturning the DEA ruling,
but that Reno was awaiting comment on the review from various divisions
of the Justice Department before making a final determination.
Meanwhile, at least 34 senators and 104 representatives have written the
Attorney General urging her to uphold the DEA position. However, during
her weekly press conference April 9, when questioned about when the Justice
Department decision would come, Reno replied cryptically, "I'd like
to do it very soon. But I don't know whether that will be possible or not."
In the meantime, state legislatures continue to move against euthanasia.
As reported in the last issue of NRL News, Virginia voted earlier
this year to provide civil remedies against assisting suicide, and Governor
James Gilmore is expected to sign the resulting bill into law shortly.
In Kansas, the passage of a bill to prevent assisting suicide by the Senate
and House was marred by the addition of pro-abortion provisions concerning
partial-birth abortions and late-term abortions.
At press time, pro-abortion Governor Bill Graves had announced that he
opposed the bill as passed, but had not decided whether to veto it.
In Michigan, home of Jack Kevorkian, the House March 12 finally passed
66-40 a bill containing criminal penalties for assisting suicide. On December
4, 1997, the bill had passed the Senate 28-7. However, because less than
two-thirds of the House members subsequently voted to give the bill immediate
effect, it will not go into force until April 1, 1999. (Governor John Engler
is committed to signing the bill into law.) Currently, the common law of
crimes as interpreted by the Michigan Supreme Court prohibits assisting
suicide in the state, but prosecutors have been unwilling to charge Kevorkian
under it in the face of repeated jury acquittals. Right to Life of Michigan
and other opponents of euthanasia say they hope that the existence of a
specific statutory ban might make jurors more willing to convict.
In Maryland, on March 20 the Senate voted 25-22 for a bill containing criminal
and civil remedies against assisting suicide. However, a House committee
earlier defeated a companion bill.
In South Carolina, on April 8 the Senate Judiciary Committee reported favorably
a bill with criminal and civil remedies against assisting suicide. Senate
floor action is expected shortly.
Oklahoma has seen particularly significant action against euthanasia this
legislative session. On April 8 the House passed a bill with civil and criminal
remedies to prevent assisting suicide 97-1. A somewhat different version
had been passed by the Senate 47-0 on March 11, so that another vote will
be necessary to ready a final bill for Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating,
who is expected to sign it. A bill designed to provide effective alternatives
to euthanasia by facilitating pain relief, based on a model developed by
the National Right to Life Committee, passed the House March 10 by a vote
of 97-0, and was voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee 9-2 on March
17. It awaits a Senate floor vote. Finally, a bill to prevent involuntary
denial of lifesaving medical treatment passed the Senate 46-1 on March 11
and passed the House 82-16 on March 31.