RSSOregon v. Ashcroft: Appeal a Waste of Time and Tax Dollars
May 28, 2002
Contact: Greg Eddleston - geddleston@dwd.org / (503) 228.6079
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PORTLAND, OR � Late Friday May 24th, on the eve of a national holiday weekend, the Ashcroft Justice Department appealed Judge Robert Jones� April 17th decision which�stated that the Federal government cannot overturn Oregon�s Death with Dignity law.� The appeal will go before the Ninth Circuit Appellate Court in San Francisco.� Officials of the Oregon Death with Dignity Center denounced the Attorney General�s announcement as a waste of time and tax dollars.
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�Just how many times must the Attorney General see the democratic and legal processes demonstrated?� The people have voted twice.� The courts have ruled twice.� This law has been a catalyst to improved end-of-life care � in Oregon and nationally.� Tax payer dollars are being squandered in Ashcroft�s crusade,� said Scott Blaine Swenson, Executive Director of the Oregon Death with Dignity Center.
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The Oregon Death with Dignity Center (ODWD) is prepared to meet this fresh legal challenge.� ODWD is the legal defense and public education nonprofit that has represented a physician and pharmacist in the proceedings.� ODWD has been the vanguard for Oregon�s law and has successfully proposed, passed and defended the Death with Dignity law since 1994.
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The following individuals are available for comment.
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ELI STUTSMAN (attorney / ODWD Board President) is the Portland attorney representing Dr. Peter Rasmussen and pharmacist David Hochhalter in the case against Attorney General John Ashcroft.� Stutsman is one of the principal authors of the Oregon Death with Dignity law and was the strategist behind the 1994 and 1997 electoral victories that passed the law.� Stutsman defended the law in federal court between 1994 and 1997 in cases that resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court allowing the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision to stand - thus permitting Oregon�s law to go into effect on October 27, 1997.� Stutsman has been instrumental in strategies to defend Oregon�s law throughout its implementation.
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DR. PETER RASMUSSEN (plaintiff) is a Salem physician and plaintiff in the case against Attorney General John Ashcroft.� Rasmussen is a medical oncologist, board certified in hospice and palliative medicine and has prescribed under the Oregon Death with Dignity law.
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DR. ALAN BATES (physician / Oregon Representative / ODWD Board Member) is a practicing physician and member of the Oregon House of Representatives.� Dr. Bates recently joined the board of the Oregon Death with Dignity Center.
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SCOTT BLAINE SWENSON (ODWD Executive Director) has been involved in the assisted dying issue since the 1997 U.S. Supreme Court cases and has been intimately involved in the strategies to prevent federal intrusion.
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Please contact Greg Eddleston at the number or email address above to schedule interviews.� Visit us on the web: www.dwd.org.��
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For more than 14 years, the Death with Dignity National Center (DDNC), a 501(c)(3), non-partisan, non-profit organization, has been the leading advocate in the death with dignity movement. Leaders in our organization originally wrote and have continued advocating for the Oregon Death with Dignity Law. DDNC has met these challenges through extensive legal defense of the Oregon law, education and outreach programs, and by developing and nurturing diverse financial resources with one goal in mind: to ensure DDNC's financial vitality and its position as a leader in the death with dignity movement.
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The Death with Dignity National Center partners with the Oregon Death with Dignity Political Action Fund (the Fund) to conduct lobbying and political activities in order to achieve the enactment of Death with Dignity laws in other states. The partnership resulted in tremendous success with the resounding win in the 2008 Washington Death with Dignity campaign.
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About Death with Dignity
The greatest human freedom is to live, and die, according to one's own desires and beliefs. The most common desire among those with a terminal illness is to die with some measure of dignity. From advance directives to physician-assisted dying, death with dignity is a movement to provide options for the dying to control their own end-of-life care.
Death with Dignity National Center (DDNC) is the leader in this movement, successfully establishing, advancing and defending the landmark Oregon Death with Dignity Act -- a national catalyst for openly discussing and actively reforming end-of-life care for those who are terminally ill.
Learn more about the National Center and our family of organizations.
Patients & Families
The Death with Dignity National Center was formed out of a profound commitment to the idea that personal end-of-life decisions should be made solely between a patient and a physician. Based on this commitment, we are pleased to provide you with support and information as you face the difficult challenges ahead.
Research Center
We have compiled a comprehensive collection of legal briefs, journal articles, and newspaper clippings. We invite you to explore the wide array of information we have collected throughout our history.
In our Research Center you will find frequently asked questions, the history of the death with dignity movement, state monitoring statistics, and a copy of this groundbreaking statute.
