Physician-Assisted Suicide — Oregon and Beyond

In February, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to consider the legality of the Bush administration's effort to outlaw physician-assisted suicide in Oregon, raising the possibility that a ruling by the Court during its next term could effectively invalidate the controversial Oregon law known as the Death with Dignity Act. With the events leading to the death of Terri Schiavo focusing national attention on end-of-life decisions, the Court's acceptance of the case formerly known as Oregon v. Ashcroft is likely to heat up the public debate on assisted suicide. The justices will hear oral arguments in the case, now renamed Oregon . . .