Sorry. But that felt good. It isn't exactly the point of this post. Or rather it is. I haven't quite decided yet. But something amazing happened today. And you all should know.
Yes. Something amazing happened today. The United States Supreme Court did something right. Oops. I mean. Correct. They did something correct. Today. Well. I'm a little bit late posting this posting. But I feel that it is still close enough to today to call it today. So I am calling it today. Today. So there.
Anyway. Something happened "today" and it was amazing. The Supreme Court decided that Oregon's Death with Dignity law permitting medical doctor's to assist certain categories of terminally ill patients to end their lives is not in violation of the Federal Controlled Substances Act.
Huh.
I know. I know. Let me back up. For those of you who are not aware. In 2001 then Attorney General John Ashcroft went after Oregon with a vengeance. They had twice passed. And possibly thrice passed. Legislation that permitted medical doctors in very specific circumstances following very specific procedures and guidelines to assist their patients with terminal illnesses to end their own lives. Ashcroft said this was a violation of the Federal Controlled Substances Act. He declared that medical doctors providing such care to their patients could be arrested and convicted on federal charges.
And let me tell you. This federal stuff is serious business.
But today. The United States Supreme Court decided the matter. And the medical providers in the state Oregon are no longer at risk of losing their medical licenses or facing the possibility of federal conviction for violating the law. This is a pivotal decision. Especially in this era of "family values" propaganda. If you are interested I encourage you to read the
In the majority opinion, Justice Kennedy stated that the "authority claimed by the Attorney General is both beyond his expertise and incongruous with the statutory purpose and design." Emphasis mine.
In other words. The Attorney General doesn't know shit and the legislator never intended the Federal Controlled Substances Act to be used to prosecute medical doctors providing legal medications to their patients. Dumb ass.
And that the Attorney General doesn't know shit. Oh wait. I already said that didn't I.
It is notable. Although not surprising. That the dissent was provided by Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence "Whatever Scalia Said" Thomas. And guess what. The new Chief Justice John Roberts joined the Scalia-Thomas dissent. Imagine that.
Now. If you are wondering why I actually give a shit about this issue. Let me explain. Many of you know that I worked for Company F. Surely you recall my tirade on Company F from a previous post. But this is not about said tirade.
One positive thing about working for Company F was that I was given the opportunity to confront death on a daily basis. And in doing so I was able to develop peace with death. Quality of life must be defined on an individual basis. And we certainly all sit at different points on the continuum. Ending one's life in the midst of a terminal illness is personal decision. I do not imagine that anyone in such a circumstance would make such a decision in some willy nilly fashion.
As Oregon has explained. This is a decision that must be made between a patient and his or her doctor with specific guidelines in place to assure that such a decision is not made in haste.
It is a decision that I hope never to be forced to make. But I most certainly hope that if I am ever in such a prediciment that I have the freedom to make such a decision in the manner that I see fit for myself as a human bean.
Oregon has recognized the complexity of this issue. And their law addresses the potential ramifications of such a decision. So congratulations to Oregon. It has been a long and arduous battle for the ability to make decisions for their community in their way. For the people. By the people.
I imagine the right will view this decision in much the same manner as the recent Terri Schiavo incident. Interesting how quickly the right has forgotten about the now deceased Ms. Schiavo. Nevertheless. I believe it is important to state that as a proponent of quality of life measures. I am not anti-life. And how could I be. I am at this very moment a living breathing human bean. So. I am not anti-life. On the contrary. I have a deep respect for life. And in possessing such a respect. I am also aware of the personal decisions involving life. And the ways in which one must define life and living in a way that speaks to one's own heart.
So fuck you John Ashcroft. For starting this mess. And for wasting so much time and energy and resources. And fuck you Alberto Gonzales for allow it to continue. Fuck you. This time a small bit of sense has filtered back into society. Let us all hope that the seed that has now been planted will begin to grow.
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