[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 157 (Sunday, November 9, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S12235]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       FEDERAL MEDDLING IN OREGON

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I rise today to take a few minutes to 
discuss Federal meddling in the internal affairs of my home State of 
Oregon.
  As many of my colleagues know, the people of my State have been 
discussing at length the concept of assisted suicide. In fact, the 
people of Oregon have spoken twice on this issue. It is a very 
difficult issue, and after months of thoughtful debate and intense 
media scrutiny, the voters of my State have voted to allow physicians 
to assist their terminally ill patients in ending their lives.
  Mr. President and colleagues, let me say that I have deep personal 
reservations about the concept of assisted suicide. I have voted twice 
as a private citizen against assisted suicide, and once on the floor of 
the U.S. Senate I voted against Federal funding of assisted suicide. 
But let me also say that the voters of my State in a recent ballot 
measure have voted no on the question of repealing the matter of 
assisted suicide they voted for earlier.
  My question today is, what part of no does the Federal Government 
fail to understand? We saw just a few hours after the Oregon vote some 
of the most powerful Members of the U.S. Congress and the Clinton 
administration looking to overturn the popular will of the people of 
Oregon. Within hours of the Oregon vote, a letter emerged from the Drug 
Enforcement Administration to the Members of Congress who control the 
budget for the Drug Enforcement Administration. In effect, the Drug 
Enforcement Administration indicates they want to declare war on 
physicians in Oregon and those they serve by threatening to revoke the 
drug dispensing privileges of any physician who abides by the law that 
Oregon has now passed on two separate occasions. In effect, the Drug 
Enforcement Administration is interested in thwarting the will of 
Oregonians.
  Now, Mr. President and colleagues, let me repeat again, I have deep 
personal reservations about assisted suicide. Going back to my days 
with senior citizens as codirector of the Oregon Gray Panthers, I have 
been most interested in looking at medical advances in pain management 
and hospice care, and I don't think there has even been a beginning at 
those efforts, and certainly those are the first efforts that 
governmental bodies at every level ought to be trying to support.
  But when the people have spoken, and in this case the people of my 
State have spoken twice, it is time for the Federal Government to back 
off. It is not as if this town doesn't have enough to do already on 
this floor. It is obvious that important legislation needs to be passed 
as it relates to a number of Federal agencies. Certainly, the Drug 
Enforcement Agency has important work to do. I don't see any evidence 
that they have stemmed the flow of cocaine and heroin and 
methamphetamine to our kids. It seems to me the Clinton administration 
and the Drug Enforcement Administration has plenty to do right now 
other than to meddle in the internal affairs of the State of Oregon.
  Now, I have great respect for the Members of Congress who are 
interested in this issue. A number of them are personal friends and 
individuals with whom I have worked on a bipartisan basis on health 
care legislation such as the Food and Drug Administration and health 
care legislation to protect our youngsters. I have great respect for 
the Members of Congress, the leaders of the committees that have 
jurisdiction over the budget for the Drug Enforcement Agency, and I 
respect them and have worked with them on many occasions.
  However, I say to those Members of Congress and to the Clinton 
administration that it is an inappropriate exercise of our 
responsibilities to impose personal or religious views on the voters of 
Oregon. Those voters have spoken. My personal views notwithstanding, I 
want the Federal Government to get that fairly simple concept known as 
``No.'' The people of Oregon have spoken on this issue, and it seems to 
me if there were a constitutional question involved, perhaps you could 
understand why the Congress and the Clinton administration would be 
interested in this Oregon ballot initiative. But in fact, a Federal 
court has recently ruled against a constitutional challenge to Oregon's 
law, and the Supreme Court of the United States upheld that ruling.
  Mr. President, the citizens of my home State have now made law with 
respect to what they consider to be compassionate care on the part of 
Oregon physicians. It was not a rush to judgment. There were two very 
extensive debates in my State, and I have already indicated that my 
view with respect to assisted suicide is that I still have deep 
reservations about the concept.
  But the voters of my State have spoken. It would be wrong for those 
at the Federal level to meddle with that decision. It would be wrong to 
override the judgment of Oregon voters. And it is my view, Mr. 
President, that neither this Congress, nor the Clinton administration, 
nor the DEA, should trample on the judgment of Oregon voters on an 
issue that the courts have already decided is a matter that should be 
decided in my home State of Oregon.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor and I suggest the absence of a 
quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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