Assisted-death bill stalls in Senate
By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
Senate Health and Human Services Committee Chairman David Matsuura yesterday maintained his position against allowing the Senate to vote on an assisted-suicide bill, despite Gov. Ben Cayetano's push for a vote and a federal judge's support of a similar law.
Cayetano called on Matsuura to let his Senate colleagues vote on the measure after a federal court yesterday issued a ruling against U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. The attorney general had threatened to suspend or revoke the drug-prescribing licenses of Oregon doctors who dispense lethal drugs to patients who want to end their lives under that state's law.
In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Robert Jones scolded Ashcroft, saying Ashcroft attempted to "stifle an ongoing, earnest and profound debate in the various states concerning physician-assisted suicide" with a Nov. 6 directive declaring that assisted suicide was not a "legitimate medical practice."
Robert McCallum, an assistant U.S. attorney general, said the Justice Department had not yet decided whether to appeal the ruling, a move that could lead to years of litigation.
Cayetano said Matsuura's refusal to let senators vote on the assisted-suicide bill was tantamount to Ashcroft's action to stifle the wishes of Oregon residents.
House Bill 2487, which would allow terminally ill, competent adults to obtain a prescription for medication to end their lives through a self-administered oral lethal dose, passed the House but stalled in Matsuura's Senate committee.
"While I respect Sen. Matsuura's religious convictions he should not, as did U.S. Attorney Ashcroft, be guided by those religious beliefs in thwarting the democratic process he was elected to uphold," Cayetano said. "Hawai'i's people do not have the right of initiative and referendum, as they do in Oregon. Our people deserve a vote from their elected senators on this important issue."
But Matsuura, D-2nd (S. Hilo, Puna), said he hasn't changed his mind. He repeated his argument that he believed passing such a law would create legal problems for the state and said the Senate has more pressing issues to deal with.
"I know we have some major other issues going on currently in the Legislature that we really have to deal with, especially concerning our budget," Matsuura said yesterday.
"I'm not really quite sure why (Cayetano) wants to throw this one down on us again. This is going to maybe cause some more havoc within our Senate and (take) up all our time that could be better spent on these other critical issues that are facing Hawai'i."
Nine senators could pull the assisted-suicide bill to the floor for a Senate vote. But Senate President Robert Bunda said he doesn't expect such a move.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
