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The President has made it clear that he does not support assisted suicides.
The Administration, therefore, does not oppose enactment of H.R. 1003, insofar
as it would reaffirm current Federal policy prohibiting the use of Federal
funds to pay for assisted suicides and euthanasia.
However, the Department of Justice advises (in the attached letter) that
section 5 of the bill, which would prohibit the use of any federal funds to
support an activity that has a purpose of "asserting or advocating a legal
right to cause, or to assist in...the suicide...of any individual," exceeds the
intent of the legislation and raises concerns regarding freedom of speech.
Therefore, the Administration urges the Senate to address this concern as the
legislation moves forward, in order to avoid potential constitutional
challenges and implementation problems.
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