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I SAN FRANCISCO Chair of Bishops ' Policy committee says in Iraq, U.S is at 'crossroads' *i
By Jerry Filteau WASHINGTON (CNS) — "Our nation is at a crossroads in Iraq, " Bishop Thomas G. Wenski of Orlando , Fla., chairman of the U.S. bishops ' Committee on International Policy, said Jan. 12. In a 3, 600-word statement Bishop Wenski called for "serious and civil discussions " on what die United States must do to prepare for "a responsible transition " to full Iraqi self-rule. The full statement is accessible at www.usccb.org. "Our nation 's military forces should remain in Iraq only as long as it takes for a responsible transition, leaving sooner rather than later, " he said. Sharply criticizing the "shrill and shallow debate that distorts reality and reduces die options to ' cut and run ' versus ' stay the course, '" Bishop Wenski instead urged "serious and civil discussions of alternatives th at emphasize planning for a responsible transition in Iraq. " He called for "clearer signals that the goals of U.S. policy are to help Iraqis assume full control of their governance and not to occupy the nation for an indeterminate period. " The U.S. government should declare that trie presence of U.S. troops in Iraq "must be an Iraqi decision that respects the needs and sovereignty of the Iraqi people," he said. "Despite past missteps and current difficulties , our nation urgently needs to seek to broaden international support and participation in the stabilization and reconstruction of Iraq, " he added. He said this will require giving up some U.S. control and " giving international partner's and allies a real voice and real responsibilities ." Bishop Wenski recalled the strong opposition of church leaders to the U.S. intervention in Iraq three years ago. "It is well known that our bishops ' conference repeatedl y expressed grave moral concerns about the military intervention in Iraq and the unpredictable and uncontrollable negative consequences of an invasion and occupation , " he wrote. "Similar concerns were articulated powerfully by Pope John Paul II and the Holy See," he said. "The events of the past three years, the absence of evidence of weapons of mass destruction and the continuing violence and unrest in Iraq have reinforced those ethical concerns. ... Our conference remains highly skeptical of the concept of 'preventive war.'" With the invasion , however, came "a new set of moral responsibilities , " he said, and the central moral question for the United States now "is not just the. timing of U.S. withdrawal , but rather the nature and extent of U.S. and international engagement that allows for a responsible transition to security and stability for the Iraqi people. " He said the current situ ation in Iraq poses a number of "challenges " to the United States and the Iraqi people , among them: — "Terrorism and our response to it. — "The violation of the human rights of persons in the custody IRAQ, page 11 of U.S. and Iraqi forces.
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Death penalty opponents hold hands and sing in front of San Quentin State Prison late Jan. lb, shortly before the execution of convicted murderer Clarence Ray Allen. (See statement by Bishop John C. Wester, Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, page 5)
Court rejects federal effort to prohibit physician-assisted suicide
By Patricia Zapor
any particular purpose, or indeed WASHINGTON (CNS)—In a whether a physician who admin6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court isters any controversial treatment Jan. 17 upheld Oregon 's physi- could be " barred from practice, cian-assisted suicide law, reject- Kennedy wrote. The attorney gening the U.S. attorney general's eral would have such power even attempt to use federal dru g con- though the law limits his authortrol laws to stop doctors from pre- ity to the registration and control scribing lethal doses of medicine of drugs "and despite the statutoto people who are terminally ill. ry purposes to combat drug abuse Writing for the majority, and prevent illicit drug traffickJustice Anthony Kennedy said ing, " he said. althou gh the federal governKennedy was joined in the ment may apply dru g laws to majority opinion by Justices John states the "authority claimed Paul Stevens, Sandra Day by the attorney general is both O'Connor, Stephen Breyer, David beyond his expertise and Souter and Ruth Bader Ginsberg. incongruous with the statutory Justice Antonin Scalia wrote a dispurposes and design. " senting opinion, in which he was If the attorney general's argu- joined by Chief Justice John ment were to stand , the govern- Roberts and Justice Clarence ment could apply the same logic Thomas. Thomas also wrote a to other types of medical judg- separate dissent, ments, Kennedy wrote. Oregon became the first state "He could decide whether any to legalize physician-assisted suiparticular dnig may be used for cide when voters passed the Death
With Dignity Act in 1994. The law exempts doctors from civil or criminal liability if they prescribe lethal doses of drugs in keeping with the procedures spelled out in the statute. The law took effect after a 1997 voter initiative to repeal the statute failed. Since the law was enacted, about 200 peop le have committed suicide by following its provisions. The provisions apply to people in the final stages of terminal illness and require a second doctor to confirm the diagnosis. Doctors do not administer the drugs; they only prescribe them. In 2001 then-AttorneyGeneral John Ashcroft issued a directive sayingthat prescribingdmgs limited by the Controlled Substances Act for the purpose of assisted suicide would violate the federal law. The Supreme Court in 1997 COURT RULING, page 9
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News-in-brief 'This Catholic Life'
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AAA kick-off luncheon
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Letters and commentary . 12-13 I |Disagreeing like Christians . 15
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