May 30, 2007
Reviving The Right-To-Die Debate
It's been two years since Congress' involvement in the Terri Schiavo case thrust the right-to-die debate into the national spotlight. Now that former euthanasia doctor Jack Kevorkian is set to be released from prison on parole, the issue is once again poised to stir controversy.
Kevorkian's release Friday after about eight years in a Michigan state prison comes just as the California legislature is mulling whether to become the second state to legalize assisted suicide for terminally ill patients. Oregon became the first and only state to do so in 1994, when it narrowly passed the Death With Dignity Act.
California's decision, which may come as early as next week, could have national ramifications. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to uphold Oregon's law in early 2006. Chief Justice John Roberts, siding with the Bush administration against the state's right to legalize euthanasia, registered his first dissent from the bench in that case.
Activists on both sides of the issue believe that if California's proposal is signed into law, the state's size and influence could compel other states to pass similar laws and even move the debate to the halls of Congress. The Detroit Free Press has a survey of several "battleground states" where right-to-die debates are already taking place.
In California, the so-called Compassionate Choices Act has stirred heated debates between supporters who believe it will boost individuals' rights to choose their own destinies and opponents who see it as a violation of morality and medical ethics.
A new Associated Press/Ipsos Public Affairs survey [PDF] shows Americans are still deeply divided over the legal implications of the issue. Forty-eight percent of respondents said they advocated legalizing doctor-assisted suicide for the terminally ill, while 44 percent opposed it. But a 68-percent majority agreed that "sometimes there are circumstances where a patient should be allowed to die."
For his part, Kevorkian has said he will no longer provide assistance for suffering patients who want to end their lives, but the 79-year-old man formerly known as "Dr. Death" does intend to stay active in the movement. Kevorkian will give his first post-prison interview on CBS' "60 Minutes" this Sunday.
More than half of respondents to the AP/Ipsos poll said Kevorkian should not have had to serve prison time for his actions. For more on the survey, see today's Poll Track (subscription).
Posted at 2:38 PM
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