Washington D.C., May 8, 2005 / 22:00 pm
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and other religious organizations jointly filed a friend-of-the-court brief Friday, declaring that the U.S. Attorney General was correct in concluding that assisted suicide is not a legitimate medical practice under the Controlled Substances Act.
The organizations asked the United States Supreme Court to reverse a Ninth Circuit decision, which struck the Attorney General’s interpretation of the Act.
The high court is expected to render a decision on the case, Gonzales v. State of Oregon, next term.
“The Attorney General’s conclusion that there is a difference between assisting suicide and managing pain, and that the former is not a legitimate medical purpose within the meaning of the Controlled Substances Act, while the latter is, is not only eminently reasonable but also supported by longstanding medical practice and past interpretation of the Act,” the brief said.