Supreme Court upholds assisted suicide

By Ron Felten - Columnist

The Supreme Court rejected the government’s attempts to stop physician-assisted suicides in Oregon by a 6 to 3 margin last month, but the future of Oregon’s Death With Dignity Act may still be in question.
Justice Kennedy, writing on behalf of the court’s majority, said the validity of the grounds on which the federal government, specifically then-Attorney General John Ashcroft, challenged ODWDA in 2001, via an Interpretive Rule, is what he and the other justices had to decide on, not necessarily the legality of assisted suicide.
Ashcroft had cited the federal Controlled Substances Act as his justification for challenging ODWDA, saying that doctors could and should be punished for administering or prescribing lethal doses of drugs to terminally ill patients upon request.
A majority of the justices, however, disagreed with Ashcroft’s interpretation of the 1970 law, as had several lower courts.
“The drugs Oregon physicians prescribe under ODWDA are regulated under a federal statute,” Justice Kennedy wrote. But, he continued, “[the] CSA explicitly contemplates a role for the States in regulating controlled substances.”
Justice Scalia, with whom Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Thomas joined, sided with Ashcroft and current Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, and wrote in the dissenting opinion that the majority of the court had failed to properly interpret the phrase “legitimate medical purpose,” which appears in the CSA and aims to dictate the use of prescription drugs.
The Supreme Court’s decision did not specifically address the constitutionality of physician-assisted suicide, however, and it did not say whether or not Congress has the authority to overrule Oregon’s law. This has some wondering if ODWDA will be challenged yet again in court, though not by CSA’s standards.
Justice Kennedy acknowledged this possibility.
“The dispute before us [physician-assisted suicide] is in part a product of this political and moral debate,” Kennedy wrote in the court’s opinion, “but its resolution requires an inquiry familiar to the courts: interpreting a federal statute to determine whether Executive action is authorized by, or otherwise consistent with, the enactment.”
In other words, even though ODWDA does not violate CSA, the Oregon law may be possibly challenged on other grounds.
According to Oregon’s official state Web site, the ODWDA was originally passed by voters in a general election in 1994 but only by a margin of 51 percent to 49 percent. The act was prohibited from being implemented by way of an injunction, however, until that order was lifted in October of 1997.
A measure to repeal the ODWDA was placed on the general election ballot just one month later and voters decided by a margin of 60 percent to 40 percent to retain it.
Supporters of the ODWDA have been careful to note that physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia are not, in fact, synonymous. In a physician-assisted suicide a doctor prescribes a lethal dose of medicine that the patient administers to himself whereas in euthanasia the doctor actually injects the patient with a drug.
Additionally, the ODWDA requires that all requests for a lethal dose of medication come directly from the patient, not the patient’s relatives. Furthermore, the law states that, in order to participate, a patient must be over the age of 17, a resident of Oregon, “capable of making and communicating health care decisions” on their own and must be diagnosed with a terminal illness that will, according to a doctor, lead to death within six months.
According to a report by the New York Times, approximately 30 Oregonians exercise this right each year.

Career fair coming soon

By Laura Camper - General Assignment Reporter

In the final semester of their college career, many students embark on a new adventure - the job search.  Tammy Craig, interim director of the Career Services Center, says instead of waiting until their senior year, students would be wise to start thinking about the job search their first year in college. 
Craig says one important step is to attend the Annual Career Fair Feb. 17 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the PAC Concourse.  “Go every year,” she says, “for internship possibilities, job possibilities and networking opportunities.” 
She says unlike a job fair, which is strictly to apply for jobs, at the Career Fair there are job opportunities and internship opportunities as well as networking opportunities. 
Networking is very helpful when looking for a job.  The student can find out about the companies and what type of candidate they look for. 
“If you find out in your last year and you don’t have the right skills, it may be too late,” she says.
The Springfield Collegiate Career Fair at UIS will have about 100 companies represented and usually 400 to 500 students attend.  “That can be overwhelming,” says Craig.  She recommends planning before the big day to make the process run smoothly. 
A workshop is scheduled for 5 p.m. today to help prepare students for the Career Fair with advice on resumes and how to present themselves in order to help the student feel confident and fully prepared.  An added incentive to attend the workshop is the chance to win a portfolio, 500 sheets of resume paper along with a pen and pencil set.
Career Services staff will also be manning a “Quick Career Stop” near the Food Emporium in the Public Affairs Center on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. through Feb. 8.  The “Quick Stop” is set up to give students quick resume makeovers and preparation tips for the Career Fair.
Craig also recommends students visit the Career Services Center Web site at www.uis.edu/careerservices to research the companies attending. On the home page is a link to a list of employers who will be represented at the Career Fair including the type of jobs available, the majors of interest and a link to the companies’ Web site.  She says some companies screen the applicants by asking what interests them about the company.  If the student doesn’t know anything about the company, it doesn’t make a good first impression.
The Career Services Center, located in the Student Affairs Building, has walk-in hours on Wednesdays from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and Fridays noon to 2:00 p.m. or e-mail resumes to careerservices@uis.edu. 
Plan ahead for help, though. There are no walk-in hours the week of the Career Fair and with e-mail it can take up to seven business days to get a reply.

Supreme Court upholds assisted suicide

Career fair coming soon