Social Policy - January

Policy Digest

January 1997

Considering The Right To Die

Should the state interfere with the intimate decision of a patient, family and doctor to end a patient's life through a lethal dose of drugs? Most Americans say the state should not interfere.

In a CNN/USA Today poll conducted by the Gallup organization of 1,022 adults, 58 percent said doctors ought to be allowed to help a terminally ill patient die if the patient is in severe pain and asks for assistance.

Forty percent said that in such a position they would consider suicide themselves.

Most states consider it a crime to assist another person to commit suicide. But the law is unclear in a number of states.

Oregon is the only state to actually move toward assisted suicide -- although a 1994 ballot initiative giving approval has yet to be implemented.

In nine states and the District of Columbia court rulings and tradition have defined assisted suicide as a crime.

The law is unclear in five states.

Assisted suicide is clearly unlawful in the remaining 35 states.

Tomorrow, the Supreme Court will take up the matter and hear cases from Oregon and New York.

Source: Tony Mauro, "Is There a Right to Die?" USA Today, January 7, 1997.

How New Technologies Are Changing Population Patterns

In the new Information Age of computers, employees can work at home -- hundreds, even thousands of miles away from the office. A Denver think-tank, the Center for the New West, calls these workers "Lone Eagles."

The Center estimates there are as many as 10 million such workers in the U. S. today.
States in the West and the South are big beneficiaries of a population migration spawned by in-home offices and technologies -- as are smaller cities, some rural areas and city suburbs.

According to a recent Dun & Bradstreet survey, many Northeastern and Midwestern states lost jobs between 1991 and 1995. Some of these are Lone Eagles who moved to smaller towns and rural areas of the South and West.

While New York and California were losing 83,000 and 80,000 jobs respectively, Georgia and Colorado were picking up 35,000 and 14,000 respectively.
Illinois lost 8,000 jobs.
Companies which relocate also play a substantial role in the trend -- no doubt substantially larger than the impact of the Lone Eagles.

Areas wanting to attract telecommuters need amenities such as an airport or a nearby interstate highway, good local health-care services, overnight express mail delivery and access to advanced communications such as a local Internet provider. And then lots of wide-open spaces.

Source: Laura M. Litvan, "Have Technology, Will Travel," Investor's Business Daily, January 23, 1997.

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Policy Digest
January 1997
Considering The Right To Die	Should the state interfere with the intimate decision of a patient, family and doctor to end a patient's life through a lethal dose of drugs? Most Americans say the state should not interfere. In a CNN/USA Today poll conducted by the Gallup organization of 1,022 adults, 58 percent said doctors ought to be allowed to help a terminally ill patient die if the patient is in severe pain and asks for assistance. Forty percent said that in such a position they would consider suicide themselves. Most states consider it a crime to assist another person to commit suicide. But the law is unclear in a number of states. Oregon is the only state to actually move toward assisted suicide -- although a 1994 ballot initiative giving approval has yet to be implemented. In nine states and the District of Columbia court rulings and tradition have defined assisted suicide as a crime. The law is unclear in five states. Assisted suicide is clearly unlawful in the remaining 35 states. Tomorrow, the Supreme Court will take up the matter and hear cases from Oregon and New York. Source: Tony Mauro, "Is There a Right to Die?" USA Today, January 7, 1997.
How New Technologies Are Changing Population Patterns	In the new Information Age of computers, employees can work at home -- hundreds, even thousands of miles away from the office. A Denver think-tank, the Center for the New West, calls these workers "Lone Eagles." The Center estimates there are as many as 10 million such workers in the U. S. today. States in the West and the South are big beneficiaries of a population migration spawned by in-home offices and technologies -- as are smaller cities, some rural areas and city suburbs. According to a recent Dun & Bradstreet survey, many Northeastern and Midwestern states lost jobs between 1991 and 1995. Some of these are Lone Eagles who moved to smaller towns and rural areas of the South and West. While New York and California were losing 83,000 and 80,000 jobs respectively, Georgia and Colorado were picking up 35,000 and 14,000 respectively. Illinois lost 8,000 jobs. Companies which relocate also play a substantial role in the trend -- no doubt substantially larger than the impact of the Lone Eagles. Areas wanting to attract telecommuters need amenities such as an airport or a nearby interstate highway, good local health-care services, overnight express mail delivery and access to advanced communications such as a local Internet provider. And then lots of wide-open spaces. Source: Laura M. Litvan, "Have Technology, Will Travel," Investor's Business Daily, January 23, 1997.