X-Message-Number: 6170
Date: Thu, 09 May 1996 16:45:09 -0700
From: David Brandt-Erichsen <>
Subject: Freedom come, freedom go

The following was released from the Euthanasia Research and Guidance
Organization:

The 9th Circuit U S Court of Appeals issued a stay on May 6 in the case 
of Compassion in Dying versus the State of Washington, which means that 
physician-assisted suicide of the terminally ill which the court had said 
on March 6 last was 'constitutional' is now on hold.

Last month the 2nd Circuit US Court of Appeals also granted a stay in its 
similar ruling in the case of Compassion in Dying v. New York State.  (this
stay was for 30 days.)

A statement from the 9th Circuit Judge, Stephen Reinhardt, based in San 
Francisco, who wrote the Opinion, says:  "The state's request to stay the 
mandate is granted to the extent that the mandate is stayed until such time
as the court determines whether to hold a full court en banc hearing in this
case.  If the court votes to do so, the stay shall remain in effect until
the full 
court issues a final judgment or dissolves the stay.  Otherwise, the 
mandate shall issue upon completion of the pending vote."

Currently the 9th Circuit Judges are deciding whether all 24 of them 
should re-hear the case. Already eleven of them have done so, and the 
decision was 8-3 in saying that any state law prohibiting 
physician-assisted suicide was unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment 
to the US Constitution.

 <David Brandt-Erichsen>


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