Washington supports lethal prescriptions, Michigan approves stem cell proposal News
Washington supports lethal prescriptions, Michigan approves stem cell proposal

[JURIST] Washington is in line to become the second US state to permit physician-assisted suicide after voters there Tuesday supported Initiative Measure 1000 [text and materials; unofficial results], which would allow terminally ill, legally competent adults to obtain lethal prescriptions without exposing themselves, their physicians or others to criminal penalties. The measure is modeled on neighboring Oregon's Death with Dignity Act [official materials], enacted in 1997 and upheld [JURIST report] by the US Supreme Court in 2006. The Seattle Times has more.

Meanwhile, on another potentially life-and-death-related issue, voters in Michigan Tuesday approved a proposed constitutional amendment [Proposal 08-2 text, PDF; unofficial results] to "ensure that Michigan citizens have access to stem cell therapies and cures" by permitting embryonic stem cell research under certain conditions while preserving the state's ban on human cloning. The Detroit Free Press has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

UN Security Council called for Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied in Six Days' War

On November 22, 1967, the UN Security Council called for Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied during the Six Days' War, and for respect of the right of all States in the area to "live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries." Read Resolution 242, which remains a cornerstone of efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East.

President Kennedy assassinated, VP Lyndon Johnson sworn inin

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Later that day, Vice-President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as the 36th President of the United States. Earl Warren, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, was later tasked with leading a commission to investigate the assassination. President Johnson received the final report of the Warren Commission on September 24, 1964. Read the Warren Commission Report.