The Washington Times
  • Subscribe
  • Times News Services
  • RSS
  • Mobile Headlines
  • e-edition
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • REGISTER
  • LOG IN
  • E-MAIL ALERTS
  • WELCOME
  • Your Profile
  • Log Out
  • Front Page Image
  • Classifieds
  • Autos
  • Real Estate
  • Jobs
  • Special Sections
  • Customer Service
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Commentary
    • Columns
    • Water Cooler
    • Letters
    • Cartoons
    • Books
  • Sports
  • Culture
    • Home & Living
    • Family & Kids
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Washington Visitors
    • Books
    • Military History
    • Life
    • Auto
    • TV Listings
    • Movie Listings
    • Death Notices
    • Entertainment
  • Communities
  • Rebate Shopping
    • Stores
    • Coupons
    • Daily Double
    • Promotion
    • How It Works
  • Photos
  • Podcasts
    • About Headlines
    • Audio and Radio
    • America's Morning News
  • World
  • National
  • Politics
  • National Security
  • DC Area
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Technology
  • Investigations
  • Faith
  • Energy
  • Environment
  • Headlines
  • Citizen Journalism
  • Business

    Toyota's bumpy ride began with race for growth

  • Security

    Chinese see U.S. debt as weapon in Taiwan dispute

  • World

    Obama ratchets up Iran sanctions threat

  • National

    Mid-Atlantic braces for new wallop of snow

  • Business

    European economies facing grim times

  • Politics

    Obama rejects starting over on health care

  • Politics

    Illegal immigration fell sharply in '08

Home » News » National

Friday, September 4, 2009

Hot Button

Rate this story

Average 0.00
after 0 votes
Login or register to rate this story

  • Font Size -+
  • Print
  • Email
  • Comment
  • Tweet this!
  • Share
  • Article
  • Comments ()
  • Click-2-Listen
Please stand by, images loading!
  • Ed Schultz
  • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Levi Johnston kisses "D-list" comedienne Kathy Griffin as they arrive at the Fox Teen Choice Awards last month in Universal City, Calif.

More National Stories

  • Jobs bill cuts payroll tax on new hires
  • Mid-Atlantic braces for new wallop of snow
  • Endeavour shuttle checked for damage
  • 3 workers acquitted in teen girl's death

By Amanda Carpenter

Assisted suicide

Montana is the latest battleground in the fight over physician-assisted suicide and some worry, as more states make it legal, about the problems that may arise if it becomes an acceptable medical option.

Montana's Supreme Court judges are examining a case brought by former truck driver Robert Baxter, who suffered from lymphocytic leukemia and wanted the courts to grant terminally ill patients the right to obtain life-ending drugs from their doctor. A district court ruled in his favor, but Mr. Baxter died of his disease hours before the court handed down its ruling.

The state Supreme Court is now taking up an appeal to Baxter v. Montana. If the high court upholds the lower court ruling, Montana will become the third state in the nation to legalize assisted suicide, following Oregon and Washington.

Dr. Mark Mostert, adviser to the United Nations and director of the Institute for Disability and Bioethics at Regent University, is concerned what could happen if more states follow suit. If assisted suicide is recognized as a legal medical option, he says, people may start using it to avoid providing costly end-of-life care or other expensive medical treatments.

"We only have finite resources to serve people in this country, we will never have enough to give everybody everything, so the question is how do we allocate resources and why," he said. "It's easy to imagine people will be tempted to push for assisted suicide as medical intervention and a way of saving money. I don't think it's some kind of sinister conspiracy to say that once you have that in place, and limited resources, the temptations will come."

AARP competitor

A conservative alternative to the AARP has seen a spike in membership over the past month that it says is due to concerns about AARP's position on President Obama's favored health care reforms.

The American Seniors Association has aggressively sought to flip AARP members to their group. It's running a promotion now to give new members a two-year membership for the price of one if a ripped-up AARP card is submitted with the application. And ASA is happy with the results so far. Since running the promotion, which started in August, they've gained 12,000 new members.

[Get Copyright Permissions] Click here for reprint permissions!
Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC

12Next »

Post a comment

There are comments on this article, submit your opinion!

Please login or register to post a comment

Top Stories

Most Read

  1. Stimulus foes see value in seeking cash
  2. Va. Senate OKs ban on sexual orientation bias
  3. Another storm approaches Mid-Atlantic
  4. Obama's bipartisan call hits wall of dissent
  5. Ayatollah: Iran's military will 'punch' West
More Top Stories »
  1. LYNCH: Drug czar should go
  2. Clinton: Islamist terror is No. 1 threat
  3. Md. may fine for piercing minors without parental OK
  4. Army warned about jihadist threat in '08
  5. Inside the Beltway

Most Shared

  1. Stimulus foes see value in seeking cash
  2. BLANKLEY: Palin delivers sparkle, warmth
  3. Army warned about jihadist threat in '08
  4. New federal office for global warming
  5. STEYN: The 'corpseman' cometh
More Top Stories »
  1. Ayatollah: Iran's military will 'punch' West
  2. Drive down debt, or we will be driven down
  3. PRUDEN: Hatching the Silly Bowl
  4. Obama's bipartisan call hits wall of dissent
  5. EDITORIAL: Free the Baptist 10 in Haiti

Most Commented

  1. Obama's bipartisan call hits wall of dissent
  2. Palin: President run may be 'right thing'
  3. New federal office for global warming
  4. Clinton: Islamist terror is No. 1 threat
  5. BLANKLEY: Palin delivers sparkle, warmth
More Top Stories »
  1. Rep. Murtha dies at age 77
  2. Prop. 8 trial stirs questions, emotions
  3. EDITORIAL: Free the Baptist 10 in Haiti
  4. Ayatollah: Iran's military will 'punch' West
  5. Blacks face Senate shutout in 2011

Listen to Washington Times Radio

  • America's Morning News

    with John McCaslin

Question of the day

Supporters say Sarah Palin scored in her Tea Party appearance, while critics are having a field day with Mrs. Palin's 'hand-o-prompter' (the notes she scribbled on her palm). Who's right?

Blogs & Columns

  • Hot Button Blog

    White House communications chief to treat Fox differently than ABC, NBC

  • Belief Blog

    Anglican day of reckoning coming

  • Out of Context

    Foods that might kill libido

  • On the Fly

    United lifts some 'award' blocking

  • Technology

    (Almost) All about Apple's iPad

  • Redskins 360

    This is goodbye ... for now

  • SNOBlog

    Beyond 'Woody'

Advertising Links
TWT Store
  • e-edition
  • Print Edition
  • Weekly Washington Times
TWT Affiliates
  • Middle East Times
  • Golf
  • UPI
  • Arbor Ballroom
  • Washington Times Global
  • About TWT
  • Press Room
  • F.A.Q.
  • Work for TWT
  • Advertise
  • Sponsors
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site Map

All site contents © Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC.