Rep. Norton Prepared to Defend District of Columbia’s Death With Dignity Law After Republican Announces New Attack
Targeted News Service (Press Releases)
WASHINGTON, April 17 -- Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., issued the following news release:
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today blasted Representative Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) for launching another attack on the District of Columbia's medical aid-in-dying law, the Death with Dignity Act (DWDA). Wenstrup told the Washington Free Beacon that, "We were unable to put language repealing the D.C....law into recent spending legislation, but I am hopeful that we will be able to do so in next year's legislation." Norton has defeated previous attempts by Wenstrup and other Republicans block, nullify and repeal the DWDA, which is now law. She has particularly used the fact that 24 Republican House Members are from states where medical aid-in-dying is legal, including two Republican leaders.
After the D.C. Council transmitted the DWDA to Congress for the congressional review period, Wenstrup introduced a resolution of disapproval to nullify it. Senator James Lankford (R-OK) introduced the Senate companion. Wenstrup's disapproval resolution passed the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, but Norton prevented it from being considered on the House floor. Lankford's resolution was never considered.
After DWDA became law, Representative Andy Harris (R-MD) filed an amendment to the fiscal year 2018 D.C. appropriations bill to repeal the DWDA. That amendment narrowly passed the House Appropriations Committee, with two Republicans voting to let the D.C. law stand, and was included in the House-passed fiscal year 2018 D.C. appropriations bill. Norton prevented any DWDA rider from being included in the Senate fiscal year 2018 D.C. appropriations bill and kept the Harris rider from being included in the enacted fiscal year 2018 omnibus appropriations bill. President Trump's fiscal year 2018 and 2019 budgets would have blocked D.C. from spending its local funds to carry out the DWDA.
"We keep defeating attempts by Representatives Wenstrup and Harris to block and repeal D.C.'s medical aid-in-dying law, and we intend to keep doing it again," Norton said. "Medical aid in dying is legal in seven states, most recently Hawaii. Members of Congress have no business meddling into another Member's district. Representatives Wenstrup and Harris need find ways to help their own constituents instead of spending time trying to take down purely local D.C. laws. We will continue the fight to ensure this latest attack goes nowhere."
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