2006
FRC Warns Against State-Sanctioned Assisted Suicide
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Washington, D.C. - Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling in Gonzales v. Oregon deciding that the Controlled Substances Act does not allow the U.S. Attorney General to prohibit doctors from prescribing federally-regulated drugs for use in physician-assisted suicide if state law so permits.
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins released the following statement:
"Today’s Supreme Court decision is not an endorsement of assisted suicide. All it means is that, under this particular statute, the Attorney General may not prohibit a state from permitting federally-regulated drugs to be used in assisted suicide - provided, of course, that the particular state has legalized assisted suicide, something Oregon alone has done.
"It is important that the traditional understanding of the medical role as one of healing not be confused by licensing doctors to kill. Assisted suicide is a perversion of the medical profession because it violates a fundamental ethical principle of medicine, ‘First, Do No Harm.’ As Justice Scalia noted in his dissent, ‘If the term legitimate medical purpose [a term used in the federal regulatory scheme] has any meaning, it surely excludes the prescription of drugs to produce death.’ Thus, it is entirely appropriate for Congress to revise the Controlled Substances Act to make clear that federally-regulated drugs may not be used to facilitate state-sanctioned assisted suicide.
"State-sanctioned assisted suicide is no substitute for palliative care, which has made tremendous progress in pain management for those who are suffering. Suicide among the elderly and those suffering from serious illness or disability is a tragic public health problem deserving a thoughtful, caring response."
The case, Gonzales v. Oregon, concerns whether doctors in Oregon can use federally controlled drugs to kill patients. Family Research Council filed a brief with the high court arguing that the federal Controlled Substances Act gives the Attorney General of the United States the authority to stop the misuse of dangerous drugs.
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