Members of Congress Filing Amicus Brief in Assisted Suicide

The U.S. Supreme Court will decide the validity of the Bush Administration's 2001 ruling that federally controlled drugs may not be used to assist suicide in the case of Gonzales v. Oregon, No. 04-623. The U.S. Justice Department had asked the Court to take the case to reverse an injunction entered by lower courts against the Administration directive, which would in practice prevent the conduct of assisted suicide under an Oregon-style law.

An important friend-of-the-court (amicus curiae) brief is being filed by members of Congress, demonstrating that the Administration ruling accords with the legislative history of the federal Controlled Substances Act. NRLC is grateful to the following members of Congress who have signed onto the brief:

GONZALEZ V. OREGON-AMICUS BRIEF

Name

Senator Rick Santorum (Pa.)

Senator Kit Bond (Mo.)

Senator Tom Coburn (Ok.)

Senator James Inhofe (Ok.)

Senator Jim DeMint (SC)

Senator Larry Craig (Id.)

Senator Judd Gregg (NH)

Senator Sam Brownback (Ks.)

Representative Steve Chabot (Oh.)

Representative Chris Smith (NJ)

Representative Jack Kingston (Ga.)

Representative John Shimkus (Ga.)

Representative Joe Pitts (Pa.)

Representative Henry Hyde (Il.)

Representative Mark Green (Wi.)

Representative Todd Akin (Mo.)

Representative Roscoe Bartlett (Md.)

Representative Jeff Miller (Fl.)

Representative Ralph Hall (Tx.)

Representative Steve King (Ia.)

Representative Tom Petri (Wi.)

Representative Mark Souder (In.)

Representative Peter King (NY)

Representative Paul Ryan (Wi.)

Representative Virgil Goode, Jr. (Va.)

Representative Gene Taylor (Mi.)

Representative John N. Hostettler (In.)