US Judges Back Assisted Suicide

US — The US Supreme Court has upheld a law allowing doctors in the state of Oregon to help terminally ill patients die.

Justices voted 6-3 to back the law, under which doctors are thought to have assisted with at least 208 suicides. The ruling could free other states to pass laws like Oregon’s, which is the only one of its kind in the US. 

Oregon passed its law in a 1997 state referendum. 

Since then, most of those who have chosen to die under the law have been cancer patients. 

Under the Death with Dignity Act, a patient must have less than six months to live, must be deemed by two doctors as mentally fit to make the decision, and must present one written and two oral demands over a certain period. 

He can then obtain lethal medication from his doctor but must administer it himself. (Source: www.bbc.co.uk)

State to Put Rapists on Posters

US — The US state of Mississippi plans to put the names and faces of convicted sex offenders on roadside billboards. About 100 posters showing offenders, particularly those who prey on minors, will be put up, a state official said.  

Don Taylor, head of the state’s Department of Human Services, told a local newspaper the aim was to make the public aware of their crimes. But human rights campaigners say the measure is unnecessary as the public is already aware once convicts are jailed.  

Mr Taylor is especially keen to name and shame those who make minors pregnant. He says he wants the state’s health department to check the ages parents list on newborns’ birth certificates and report to him any cases of statutory rape. He said the statistics had helped him determine that 111 men were guilty of statutory rape in the year 2002 alone.  

‘So, if you want to get your name and face in high places, get convicted,’ he told the newspaper.  

It is not the first time Mr Taylor’s department has used controversial means to highlight problems.  

Among others, it has ‘Mississippi’s Ten Most Wanted’ posters of parents who have failed to pay child support. (Source: www.bbc.co.uk)

Officials Can Be Punished for Environmental Damage

China — Government officials found to have had a part in incidents that cause environmental damage can be held accountable and punished, according to the State Environmental Protection Administration (‘SEPA’) and the Ministry of Supervision in a joint statement. 

‘The move is to enforce environment-related laws and remind officials of their responsibility towards protecting the environment,’ Li Yufu, Vice Minister of Supervision, said at a press conference.  

A set of regulations, consisting of 16 articles, spells out a series of penalties ranging from disciplinary warnings to expulsion from public employment, also applies to government-appointed officials in enterprises.  

China stepped up law enforcement in the environment sector in the wake of the major Songhua River pollution in November last year, which affected water supplies to millions of people in China and neighbouring Russia.  

SEPA and the Ministry of Supervision will soon jointly publicise a list of heavy polluters and will directly supervise the enforcement of law against these enterprises. (Source: www.china.org.cn)

Court Win for Chile’s Ex-Leader

Chile — A court in Chile has dismissed two charges against former military ruler General Augusto Pinochet relating to secret offshore bank accounts.  

The Santiago Appeals Court dismissed charges of falsifying Defence Ministry documents and false declaration of assets. But it ruled that charges of falsifying passports and tax evasion should stand.  

Gen Pinochet is the subject of a number of probes into alleged human rights violations during his 17-year rule.  

The 90-year-old, who has argued that he is too ill to stand trial, has been in and out of house arrest in Chile since returning there from the UK in 2000.  

The financial charges resulted from the discovery by a US investigation in 2004 that Gen Pinochet had up to $27 million (£15.5 million) in secret offshore accounts.  

His legal team said they were very pleased with the ruling and they were confident the remaining charges would be thrown out.  

‘All he did was hide his money, and now he has even paid all his taxes,’ lawyer Pablo Rodriguez said. (Source: www.bbc.co.uk)