Fighting For Justice

Teri Mills is a longtime Blog For America community member, a member of the Democracy for Oregon steering committee, and participant—as well as a recent op-ed columnist for the New York Times! Her guest column on health care appears on Blog for America on Fridays and she blogs at www.nationalnurse.info.


As the battle for the Supreme Court heats up, it is important for Americans to know what exactly it is we are fighting for—the interpretation of our constitutional rights. This affects many of the most basic aspects of our lives, including our own ability to make personal decisions about our life, our health care, and even our death.

One case on the upcoming docket is Oregon's Death With Dignity Act. This coming fall, the Supreme Court will consider former Attorney General John Ashcroft's contention that the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) forbids prescription of lethal drugs permitted by Oregon's Death with Dignity Act for terminally ill patients wishing to die. Despite a majority of Oregonians voting not just once, but twice, to allow a terminally ill patient to request a lethal dose of medication to end their misery and suffering, the nine justices could decide to punish doctors who prescribe this regimen.

The future of parental notification is also in peril. The Supreme Court has agreed they will hear a New Hampshire case about whether abortion clinics should be required by law to notify parents when their minor teenage daughters are considering an abortion.

Sandra Day O'Connor has been the deciding vote in many important Supreme Court decisions affecting civil rights, environmental protection, personal privacy, voting rights, protection against discrimination, and more. If she is replaced by someone who doesn't share her fair and
impartial perspective, these are among the key 5-4 decisions in danger of being overturned:

Rush Prudential HMO, Inc. v. Moran (2002) upheld state laws giving people the right to a second doctor's opinion if their HMOs tried to deny them treatment.

Hunt v. Cromartie (2001) affirmed the right of state legislators to take race into account to secure minority voting rights in redistricting.

Tennessee v. Lane (2004) upheld the constitutionality of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and required that courtrooms be physically accessible to the disabled.

One of the most important cases in the history of our country decided who would become the next President of the United States, and we all know who that is.

Want to do something about President Bush's plan to pack the Supreme Court with right-wingers? In Oregon, we will be hosting house parties www.party2win.com/dpo to get the word out about ways we can stop President Bush's plan to appoint right wing judges to our Supreme Court. What activities are planned for your state?

Your country depends on your actions, not your words.

—Teri Mills, RN, MS, ANP
Democracy for Oregon