The radical Washington DC City Council legalized assisted suicide–in a poor city where many lack adequate access to quality health care.
Now Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) plans to block the bill from becoming law. From the Washington Post story:
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) said Monday he’ll use rarely invoked congressional authority to block a new law passed by the D.C. Council to allow doctors to help end the lives of terminally ill patients in the city.
Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) signed legislation in December that would have made the nation’s capital the seventh jurisdiction to authorize doctors to prescribe fatal drugs. The bill was transmitted Friday to Congress for a 30-day review.
Good. Washington DC is federal territory. In that sense, the DC poisonous ordinance is not ”local” but impacts all of us.
This need not be a Republican v. Democrats endeavor. The coalition opposing assisted suicide is politically diverse–disability rights activists, civil rights groups, pro-lifers, medical professional organizations, etc.–all oppose legalization, even as they disagree about other issues. Accordingly, it is a bill that could receive strong bipartisan support, if others have the courage of Chaffetz’ convictions.
While he’s at it, perhaps the Congressman will file a bill to prevent federally controlled substances from being prescribed for the purpose of assisted suicide. The Supreme Court has already ruled it has that authority.