The modernist culture of death prevails again, but I fear evil not, for I know that Christ has overcome evil and has opened the gates of heaven to all who choose Him.

Fr. Martin Fox at Bonfire-of-the-Vanities makes a good point about states’ rights. However, regardless of man made rights, the right to kill another must be seen in light of the natural law, the deposit of faith, and God’s commands. Surely it must be restricted to self defense (only when proportionate) and national defense (again, when proportionate).

Our rejoicing in our own power over life and death, whether that of the unborn, the elderly, sick, and incapacitated, or ourselves will turn to tears when we finally see the blood on our own hands.

California executes oldest condemned inmate
Convicted murderer Allen, 76, was blind, nearly deaf and in a wheelchair

SAN FRANCISCO – California executed its oldest condemned inmate early Tuesday for arranging a triple murder 25 years ago to silence witnesses in another killing.

Clarence Ray Allen was pronounced dead by lethal injection at 12:38 a.m. at San Quentin State Prison, less than an hour after his 76th birthday ended at midnight.

Allen —” who was legally blind, nearly deaf and in a wheelchair —” was the second-oldest put to death nationally —” since the Supreme Court allowed capital punishment to resume in 1976.

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Allen’s heart stopped in September, but doctors revived him and returned him to San Quentin Prison’s death row.

Oh, see, we done good… Now for part 2:

Supreme Court Upholds Oregon Suicide Law
By GINA HOLLAND

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked the Bush administration’s attempt to punish doctors who help terminally ill patients die, protecting Oregon’s one-of-a-kind assisted-suicide law.

It was the first loss for Chief Justice John Roberts, who joined the court’s most conservative members – Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas – in a long but restrained dissent.

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The 6-3 ruling could encourage other states to consider copying Oregon’s law, used to end the lives of more than 200 seriously ill people in that state. The decision, one of the biggest expected from the court this year, also could set the stage for Congress to attempt to outlaw assisted suicide.

Justices have dealt with end-of-life cases before, most recently in 1997 when the court unanimously ruled that people have no constitutional right to die. That decision, by then-Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, left room for states to set their own rules.

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Scalia said in his dissent that the court’s ruling “is perhaps driven by a feeling that the subject of assisted suicide is none of the federal government’s business. It is easy to sympathize with that position.”

At the same time, Scalia said federal officials have the power to regulate doctors in prescribing addictive drugs and “if the term ‘legitimate medical purpose’ has any meaning, it surely excludes the prescription of drugs to produce death.”

He was joined in the dissent by Thomas and Roberts. Roberts did not write separately to explain his vote. Thomas also wrote his own dissent.

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Oregon’s law, which was passed by voters, covers only extremely sick people – those with incurable diseases and who are of sound mind. At least two doctors must agree the ill have six months or less to live before they can use the law.

Just like the Netherlands where its degraded into the killing of children.

“For Oregon’s physicians and pharmacists, as well as patients and their families, today’s ruling confirms that Oregon’s law is valid and that they can act under it without fear of federal sanctions,” said state Solicitor General Mary Williams.

The ruling backed a decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which said Ashcroft’s “unilateral attempt to regulate general medical practices historically entrusted to state lawmakers interferes with the democratic debate about physician-assisted suicide.”

The court’s ruling was not a final say on federal authority to override state doctor-assisted suicide laws – only a declaration that the current federal scheme did not permit that. However, it still could have ramifications outside of Oregon.

“This is a disappointing decision that is likely to result in a troubling movement by states to pass their own assisted suicide laws,” said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, which backed the administration.

The case is Gonzales v. Oregon, 04-623.