Assisted suicide remains a controversial issue in the United States. There are a number of states that allow their terminally ill citizens to end their lives. The judiciary has been closely involved in the debate surrounding assisted suicide. California is among the states where this debate is most intense. A lower court issued a ruling which denied terminally ill patients the right to end their lives. The ruling of this court was upheld by a higher court which was asked to lift the restrictions that the lower court had imposed. The actions of this court echo some of the themes addressed in Glen Krutz’ American Government.
As noted above, California referred a case involving assisted suicide to its appeals court. The court determined that a ban on assisted suicide would remain in place. One of the issues that this ruling reveals is that states have the power to shape their own destinies. In his book, Krutz acknowledged that the federal and state governments strive to strike a balance regarding control over such issues as legislation and policy. He particularly noted that state legislators have the authority to pass laws which govern their affairs (Krutz, 2017). The ruling by the California appeals court is evidence that state judiciaries exercise their power independently.
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Apart from state power, Krutz’s book also examines the varying political cultures that govern the moral affairs of states. He observed that in some states, governments adopt policies that are in line with the beliefs of their citizens (Krutz, 2017). The ruling that the courts in California issued underscore the role that state governments play in defining moral questions. In this ruling, the court essentially responded to the question of whether it is proper to end human life. Therefore, this ruling makes clear that state governments often have to intervene and settle questions of a moral nature. In conclusion, the case of the ruling by the courts in California is consistent with the themes that Kurtz’s book addresses. This fact suggests that this book reflects real issues that affect the American people.
References
Krutz, G. (2017). American government. Houston, TX: OpenStax.
Neuman, S. (2018). Court upholds ruling against California’s assisted suicide law. Retrieved
May 29, 2018 from https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/24/613940700/court-upholds-ruling-against-californias-assisted-suicide-law
