Letters
2__________
Opinion
WEÓNEsdAy, NovEMbER 28, 2001
considered for publication if submitted by 1 pm the Friday prior to
publication. Letters to the Editor are subject to editing. We reserve the
right to not publish any letter.
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V
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Assisted suicide not dignified j « ,
CHRISTINA MCFARLAND
Staff Writer
ying with dignity, or so
they call it; personally,
I don’t see how being
euthanized like a dog
thing close to dignified.
Doctor-assisted suicide has
been heatedly debated ever
since I can remember. Suffer
ing elderly patients and their
loved ones have been fighting
for the “right” to take their own
lives through fatal doses of
doctor-prescribed drugs. Right
now death by doctor pre
scribed drugs is legal in Or
egon; however, death by lethal
injection administered by an
other person, usually a doctor,
is illegal. The line between the
two is a fine one.
According to federal law, sui-
cide is illegal; however, it is
unpunishable, obviously. Why
shouldn't assisted suicide be
illegal also? I understand that
these people are enduring tre
mendous amounts of suffering
and pain, but everyone can’t
go around playing God. We
were not meant to possess the
ability to determine our fates by
choosing our time of death.
According to author and phi
D
____________
All signed letters to the editor should be 500 words or less'and will be
Assisted suicide already decided!
losopher Francis Schaeffer,
events follow a certain pattern.
If one exception, or allowance,
is made others will follow. If
those over the age of 85 strug
gling with a fatal disease be
is come
any legally allowed to commit
suicide, who’s to say middle-
aged adults suffering from can
cer can’t? What about teens
with AIDS, or the mentally and
physically handicapped? Oth
ers who are suffering will soon
demand that they also have the
right to assisted suicide.
Where will it stop? How are
we to establish the require
ments that make one eligible for
doctor-assisted suicide? Does
the applicant have to be over
85, struggling with disease, or
simply depressed due to the re
cent loss of a loved one? Who
is going to establish these lim
its? The restrictions made will
be pushed, according to
Schaeffer’s theory. Perhaps
they won’t today, but they are
bound to be tested later down
the road. This spiral of nega
tive events is bound to lead
even further “downhill.” Doc
tor-assisted suicide should be
made illegal in Oregon to pre
vent this downward spiral from
continuing.
ELISABETH MEYER
Staff Writer
Since classical times, think
ers have debated the ethics of
suicide. I consider the debate
fascinating and suspect we’ll
never reach a consensus. The
issue of assisted suicide is far
too complex to adequately ad
dress in a few paragraphs, but
even without attempting to ex
amine personal views on thè
subject, we can recognize that
Oregonians have drafted, ap
proved and successfully der
fended a law designed to em
power the terminally ill. Period.
Oregonians fought for the
privilege of voting on this is
sue in 1994. In 1997, we voted
down a measure aimed at re
moving the law by an astonish
ingly large margin, 60 to 40 per
cent. If we approach the cur
rent events from a purely legal
standpoint, this is a clear issue
of state’s rights versus federal
control. •
; ;. > ,
Since keno ruled that‘the
Death with Dignity law did not
violate the Controlled Sub
stances Act, Oregon voters can
only-interpret Ashcroft’s rever
sal of her decision as an arbi
trary and highly political way
ti
to block a law he has ideologi b
cally opposed for years k
Whether you agree with Reno’i I
or Ashcroft’s decision, it i j
democratically indefensible t<I
allow one person to make th< I
call.
-
tj
In contrast to Ashcroft’s acl
tion based on personal beliefs
Senator Ron Wyden opposei
the measure in 1994, but ha!
since fought for the law at I
national level because he feell
he must do so to represent th L
will of Oregonians.
I
If America as a nation truly
opposes the idea of doctor-as
sisted suicide, why has th
country failed to make illegal I
The Supreme Court has rule< I
that while the Constitute L
does not protect a citizen’ n
right to assisted suicide, it is; I
slate’s prerogative to make th
act legal. The time-honoreil
method of annulling a stat L
law—-namely passing a federal
law in Congress—has faileil
twice. But the majority of Or
egonians have made it clea
they want doctor-assisted sui I
cide legalized.
The rights of Oregon voter
transcend personal views-h
even the personal views of thl>
attorney general.
What are your thoughts on Oregon’s assisted
suicide law?
Jeff Nye
Steve Griffith
Major: Business
Major: Psychology
"That's a hard one because
there's different reasons
assisted suicide is good."
"I can see why we'd want it and
why we wouldn't..because of
what my grandma's going
through, it's a case by case
basis."
Photos and quotes compiled by I] i
Salena De La Cruz and Maggie
Jirasek
I,
Jeremiah Beckert
Dasha Wakefield
Major:Business
Major: Business/
Marketing
"I think if they're suffering they
should be able to end their own
lives and not have someone
decide for them."
"I don't think it's bad, but I can
see how some people are
frustrated...It's their life or thei
death."
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