NO BAR TO DOCTOR-ASSISTED SUICIDE

WASHINGTON - Attorney General Janet Reno has decided that federal drug
agents will not pursue doctors who are complying with Oregon's landmark
physician-assisted-suicide law, Justice Department officials said today.
That cleared the way for assisted suicide in the state.

Reno and President Clinton still oppose physician-assisted suicide, these
officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

But Reno decided that the Drug Enforcement Administration does not have
authority under the federal Controlled Substances Act to take action
against Oregon doctors who provide lethal doses of medicine for terminally
ill patients in ways that conform to the Oregon state law, these officials
said. Her decision was contrary to a DEA recommendation.

A spokeswoman for the assisted-suicide movement praised Reno's action while
a leader of the opposition called it unconscionable.

The Justice Department planned to release later today a letter to Sen. Ron
Wyden, D-Ore., and other Oregon lawmakers confirming her decision.

Reno's decision was limited to the provisions of the Oregon law and was not
meant as a signal that she or Clinton were dropping their longstanding
opposition to physician-assisted suicide, the Justice officials said.

Nevertheless, Reno's ruling would clear the way for doctor-assisted suicide
in Oregon, where voters twice have approved a law allowing physicians to
prescribe lethal doses of drugs for patients with less than six months to
live. It is the nation's first doctor-assisted-suicide law.

Lori Houghens of the National Right To Life Committee in Washington called
Reno's decision tragic and horrible.

"We think for this government, for this Justice Department to pull the
safety net out from under the most vulnerable people in our society, people
who are terminally ill, people with severe disabilities, we think it's
unconscionable, and right now we call on Congress to act promptly to
prevent any more tragic deaths in Oregon," Houghens said.

Second rebuff for doctor-assisted-suicide law

It was the second rebuff for opponents of the law, who in October 1997
failed to get the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their challenge. The high
court allowed the Oregon law to go into effect.

Advocates of the Oregon statute hailed Reno's decision as a sound legal
judgment. "This ruling from Janet Reno clearly supports our society's
belief that decisions about health care should be made based on local
community standards and enforced by local authorities, not the DEA or the
federal government," said Barbara Coombs Lee of Compassion in Dying in
Portland.

Legal challenges and the reluctance of the Justice Department to issue an
opinion about the Oregon law had made doctors and hospitals wary.

At a November meeting of the Oregon Medical Association's governing body,
doctors said they were concerned about implied threats from Congress and
DEA to restrict prescriptions for controlled substances.

Although the Justice Department began reviewing its jurisdiction over
assisted suicide in November 1997, the Oregon law attracted widespread
attention after the first reports of an assisted suicide surfaced last
March.

The news sent a shock wave through Congress, prompting dozens of members to
write to Reno. Most urged her to accept an interpretation of the Controlled
Substances Act that would disqualify assisted suicide as a "legitimate
medical purpose" of drugs.

At least three have used law in Oregon

The long wait for the Justice Department opinion has not stopped the
assisted-suicide law from being used. At least three terminally ill
Oregonians have killed themselves with lethal prescriptions since November.

Wyden said that while he voted against the assisted-suicide measure, the
decision by Reno is "a victory for democracy."

"Oregon now faces a challenge to redouble our efforts to make certain that
Oregonians have better options for health care at the end of their lives,"
he said in a statement. He said that is the best way to make sure assisted
suicide remains a rarity in Oregon.

Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)