X-Message-Number: 6795 Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 09:05:18 -0700 From: David Brandt-Erichsen <> Subject: Supreme Court schedule The following UPI report states that the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide prior to October 7th whether or not to hear the appeals of the two circuit court cases. I have no independent verification of this report. WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- The AMA has filed a friend-of-court brief with the Supreme Court outlining opposition to "the misguided and unethical practice" of PAS [physician-assisted suicide] and asking the Court to reject doctor-assisted suicide. Separate federal appeals courts have struck down bans on assisted suicide in New York and Washington state, but officials in both states have asked the Supreme Court to reverse the rulings. The justices are expected to grant or deny review of the appellate rulings prior to start of new term of Monday, Oct.7, 1996. "The time has come for the highest court in the land to make a declaration on the misguided and unethical practice of physician-assisted suicide," said Dr. Thomas Reardon, vice chair of the AMA. The AMA brief in the Supreme Court contends there is no constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide. The brief is in response to a March 1996 ruling from the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that struck down the Washington state law. "The AMA believes that if physicians were better educated in the management of pain and suffering," Reardon said, "and if more patients were aware of the options available to them through hospice, advanced care planning and counseling there would be virtually no need to resort to physician-assisted suicide. To this end, the AMA is presently developing a comprehensive educational program for physicans at all levels." The US Catholic Conference has filed brief in favor of state bans against PAS, and 14 states have asked Supreme Court to reverse rulings which have struck down ban on assisted suicide in New York and Washington State. States filing in favor of bans include California, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. "If the Supreme Court rejects review in the two cases, then states within the 9th and 2nd U.S. circuits will have a tough time enforcing bans against assisted suicide. The 9th U.S. Circuit includes California, Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Oregon as well as Washington state. The 2nd U.S. Circuit includes Connecticut and Vermont as well as New York." Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=6795