A 1998 order banning federal officials from going after doctors who prescribe lethal amounts of federally controlled drugs to patients wanting to commit suicide has been reversed. On Tuesday, Attorney General John Ashcroft replaced the order, which was originally enacted by then Attorney General Janet Reno.

Under Ashcroft, physicians who prescribed drugs for suicide could be suspended or even lose their licenses to dispense drugs.

Ashcroft and the Justice Department have overstepped the bounds of government by not letting autonomous people choose what to do with their own bodies.

The argument for Ashcroft’s move has no base.

He was quoted in a letter to the Drug Enforcement Administration chief as saying, “I hereby determine that assisting suicide is not a `legitimate medical purpose’ . and that prescribing, dispensing or administering federally controlled substances to assist suicide violates the [Controlled Substance Act].”

Using the Controlled Substance Act as a way of stifling physician-assisted suicide is a poor decision by the Attorney General. If an able-minded person chooses to ask help from a physician when committing suicide because of a terminal illness, they should not be rejected because of a federal law.

Oregon is currently the only state in the union to allow assisted suicide, and Oregon goes as far as to almost eliminate the chance of a mishap occurring. The state’s law specifically mentions that it must be determined by two doctors whether the person is capable of making the decision. If the patient has a mental illness that might impair his or her ability to make such a decision, he or she must be denied his or her request.

The patient must make two oral and one written statement requesting the medication. At least 15 days must pass between the first and final request to help ensure the patient will not change his or her mind.

Patients must self-administer the medication. Euthanasia is not tolerated.

Also, physicians are not obligated to participate at all.

What Ashcroft did Tuesday was limit what a person chooses to do with his or her own body. He completely ignored the fact that when a person commits suicide, he or she is harming no one but him or herself.

About 70 terminally ill people in the state of Oregon have taken advantage of the law since it was enacted in 1997. Of those 70 people, not one person’s right was violated in the suicides.

The point is that Oregon had a strong piece of legislation that helped those in suffering be more able to choose their future. Now, that is back in the hands of Washington insiders.

If an able-minded person makes the decision to end his or her intense suffering, the government should not step in and prohibit that from happening. editorialboard: Andrea Hauser, Tim Paluch, Michelle Kann, Zach Calef, Omar Tesdell