Senator Sam Brownback (R KS) held hearings about assisted suicide at which I testified a few months ago. (Link to testimony, here.) He has now filed the Assisted Suicide Prevention Act, which would prohibit federally controlled substances from being used in assisted suicide. This bill is in keeping with U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Gonzales v. Oregon, which ruled explicitly that Congress has this power.
Of course, filing a bill and passing a bill are two different things. No doubt Oregon Senator Ron Wyden will filibuster, as he did the Pain Relief Promotion Act a few years ago, preventing passage. That was a real shame in that the PRPA would have gotten the DEA off of doctors’ backs regarding pain control, while at the same time, preventing controlled substances from being prescribed by doctors for suicide.
Still, Brownback is to be applauded for promoting a federal policy against assisted suicide that is consistent current policy (no federal Medicaid funds can be used in assisted suicide, for example), and in keeping with the intent and purposes of the Controlled Substances Act.
Stay tuned for the fireworks…
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