WASHINGTON

COURT TO HEAR ADMINISTRATION CHALLENGE TO ASSISTED SUICIDE LAW

The Supreme Court stepped back into the right-to-die debate yesterday, agreeing to hear the Bush administration’s challenge to a unique state law allowing doctors to help terminally ill patients die more quickly.

The decision to review Oregon’s law during the session beginning in October sets up another fight over whether states or the federal government should decide the delicate question. The same nine justices sided with states in 1997, but four years later Attorney General Ashcroft declared that federal drug laws prohibited doctors from prescribing lethal doses. An appeals court rejected that interpretation and the Bush administration is appealing the decision.

Since the Oregon law took effect in 1997, more than 170 people have used it to end their lives. The law is meant for only extremely sick people – those with incurable diseases who two doctors agree have six months or less to live and are of sound mind. Governor Kulongoski of Oregon, a Democrat, said the Bush administration is trampling on state’s rights. “While politics has driven the appeals of the lower court’s decisions on this law, I am confident that now that politics are put aside, the Supreme Court will ultimately side with the rights of Oregonians as citizens of a sovereign state,” he said.

But a physicians’ group that opposes Oregon’s law said it is hopeful the court will toss out the law on the grounds that giving lethal prescriptions is not a legitimate medical practice.

– Associated Press

SOUTH

CASE OF BRAIN-DAMAGED WOMAN REMAINS IN LEGAL STALEMATE

DUNEDIN, Fla.- The case of a severely brain-damaged woman remained locked in a legal stalemate yesterday after an appeals court cleared the way for her husband to remove her feeding tube only to see a judge promptly block the removal for at least another day.

The 2nd District Court of Appeal offered no specific instructions in a one-page mandate issued in the case of Terri Schiavo, who was left brain damaged 15 years ago. That meant her husband, Michael Schiavo, could order his wife’s tube be removed. But Pinellas Circuit Court Judge George Greer later issued an emergency stay about an hour later blocking removal of the feeding tube until 5 p.m. EST today. Judge Greer, who has been overseeing the long-standing dispute, scheduled a hearing on the case for today.

Terri Schiavo’s parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, had sought the stay in hopes of keeping their daughter alive long enough for them to file additional legal pleadings. They are trying to oust their son-in-law as her guardian and seeking medical tests that might back their assertion that their daughter has some mental capabilities.

The appeals court’s mandate allowed Michael Schiavo to act under previous court rulings in the years-long, highly emotional legal battle. The court has consistently upheld lower court rulings that Terri Schiavo had expressed wishes not to be kept alive artificially, although she left no written directive.

– Associated Press

SOUTHWEST

MAN CHARGED WITH MURDERING PREGNANT EX-GIRLFRIEND, HER SON

FORT WORTH, Texas – A man was arrested and charged yesterday with murdering his pregnant ex-girlfriend and her 7-year-old son, who disappeared from their home over the weekend. Hours after the arrest, authorities found two bodies matching the description of bagel-shop owner Lisa Underwood and her son, Jayden, authorities said. Stephen Dale Barbee, 37, admitted arguing with Underwood over leaving his wife, according to court papers. Mr. Barbee allegedly said he suffocated Underwood, then did the same to the boy after he interrupted the attack. Court papers said Mr. Barbee was the father of Underwood’s fetus. Mr. Barbee was arrested in Tyler, where he had been working clearing trees. Mr. Barbee told investigators he put the bodies in the back of Underwood’s sport utility vehicle and dug a shallow grave. The SUV was found in a creek near the town of Denton on Monday. Court papers also revealed that a sheriff’s deputy briefly had Mr. Barbee in custody early Saturday when he stopped a suspicious man covered in mud. The man ran into the woods and escaped. Underwood, who was seven months pregnant, was reported missing Saturday along with her son after she failed to show up at her baby shower. A pool of blood was found in her Fort Worth home, but there was no sign of forced entry, police said.

– Associated Press

WEST

MORE STORMS PLAGUE COAST

LOS ANGELES – Californians braced for even more rain as they struggled to recover from storms that have left at least nine people dead, triggered mudslides and tornadoes, and washed away roads and runways. Among the victims was a Nevada woman caught in an avalanche while cross-country skiing near Lake Tahoe and a 16-year-old Orange County girl doing homework on a computer when a mudslide crashed through the wall of her home. In Ventura County, officials closed the small Santa Paula airport yesterday after more than 155 feet of runway collapsed into the rushing Santa Clara River. Chunks of concrete crumbled into the water throughout the day. “We’ve lost nearly the entire west third of the airport,” said Rowena Mason, president of the Santa Paula Airport Association. “This is millions and millions of dollars worth of damage.” Forecasters said another strong system expected early today could bring severe winds and drop an additional inch or more of rain on Southern California. Despite brief glimpses of sun, a flash-flood watch was in effect across much of Southern California yesterday. A tornado warning was also issued for coastal areas. Authorities said dozens of homes were evacuated or red-tagged – marked as uninhabitable – because they threatened to collapse from sliding hillsides.

– Associated Press