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April
17, 2002
Union Of Orthodox Jewish Congregations Decries
Federal Court Ruling Favoring Physician Assisted Suicide; “Atty.
General’s Directive Was Correct Law & Policy
Today,
the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America – the nation’s
largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization – through its Institute
for Public Affairs, decried a federal court ruling overturning a policy
directive announced this afternoon by Attorney General John Ashcroft
clarifying that federally controlled drugs may not be used by physicians
to assist their patients commit suicide.
Attorney
General Ashcroft’s action, articulated in a November, 2001 memorandum to
D.E.A. Administrator Asa Hutchinson, reinstated the understanding of the
federal Controlled Substances Act that was in place until Attorney General
Reno issued a policy directive allowing the use of federally controlled
drugs for assisted suicides in June, 1998.
Attorney General Ashcroft’s directive determined “that
assisting suicide is not a ‘legitimate medical purpose’ within the
meaning of [the Controlled Substances Act]” and, just as significantly,
the directive stated that the use of federally controlled drugs for pain
treatment ought to be “promoted.”
The State of Oregon challenged the directive in defense of its
“Death With Dignity” law.
The
Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations has worked diligently in recent
years with other concerned groups such as the American Medical Association
and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to achieve this policy goal.
We worked on a bipartisan basis with Senators Don Nickles (R-OK)
and Joe Lieberman (D-CT) to achieve this result legislatively through the
Pain Relief Promotion Act of 2000, but were unsuccessful.
Nathan
Diament, director of the Union’s Institute, issued the following
statement after the court’s ruling this morning:
The
Orthodox Jewish community is deeply disappointed in the district court’s
decision to overturn the policy directive of the Attorney General and the
Bush Administration which is consistent with ancient Jewish values
recognizing the infinite value and sanctity of human life and seeking to
preserve it, while at the same time taking all responsible measures to
comfort the ill. The Bible
instructs us to “surely heal” the ill, not to speed their departure
from this earth. The Attorney
General’s directive was the correct law and policy on this matter and we
are confident that the appellate courts will reverse today’s decision.
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