Ashcroft's Final Farewell Appeal

John Ashcroft has asked the Supreme Court to overturn Oregon's Death with Dignity Act.   According to MSNBC (and I am sure a number of other news sources):

"The Bush administration asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to block the nation’s only law allowing doctors to help terminally ill patients die more quickly.

The appeal from Attorney General John Ashcroft had been expected since May, when a lower court ruled the federal government could not punish Oregon doctors who prescribed lethal doses of federally controlled drugs.

Oregon voters approved the law, and since 1998 more than 170 people have used it to end their lives. Most had cancer.

The Bush administration has argued that assisted suicide is not a “legitimate medical purpose” and that doctors take an oath to heal patients, not help them die."

Update:  Scotusblog has provided a link to the petition for cert. and provides some further discussion on this case.