Assisted Suicide Law Upheld
News that the Supreme Court upheld Oregon's assisted suicide law has readers alternately rejoicing and hanging their heads in grief.
Individual liberty was what was really upheld with this decision, writes kpharmer. "The federal government has no business inserting itself into the private end-of-life decisions of our citizens. This gives me some hope that other federal attempts to curtail individual liberty will be quashed."
Gatcom2005 could not disagree more, seeing the decision as tantamount to authorized murder. "More blood on the hands of the liberals in today's Supreme Court. It is no different than if those liberals took a gun and shot an elderly person themselves. The responsibility of murder is just the same."
There are good and bad aspects of the ruling, argues rm88. While he can't see assisted suicide as a legitimate aspect of practicing medicine, he is also troubled by what he regards as the federal government's overreliance on "...regulating everything based on the interstate commerce clause..." Nonetheless, in a later post he argues that the majority position acts as an example of activist rulings, with the majority opinion based on flawed arguements.
The issue also sparked debate on the make-up and machinations of the court. Allancats speculated that far from realizing a clear conservative tilt, even were Samuel Alito to come on board, the Supreme Court is actually more of an unknown than observers admit.
cmschaum found the ruling baffling given that the dissent came by way of conservative justices "...Roberts, Scalia and Thomas finding against states' rights and for increased Federal power." Hfarthing echoed that sentiment, saying that, "...Scalia, Roberts and Thomas are the true activists. Willing to decide cases not based upon the law but on their religion or views on morality."
Your view?
By Lindsay Howerton |
January 17, 2006; 1:00 PM ET
| Category:
Courts and Crime
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Posted by: Alex | February 7, 2006 05:45 AM
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Assisted suicide is wrong. if u dont have the power to kill yourself than dont give others that power.