Gordon Smith, Not a Poll-Taking Politician?

Sounds Like a Poll-Tested Message

Oct. 22, 2002

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

�

CONTACT: Greg Eddleston � geddleston@dwd.org / (503) 228.6079

�

ELI STUTSMAN AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT TO MEDIA 2:30-3:15 PM

Law Offices, 621 SW Morrison, 13th Floor

�

Portland, OR --- In today�s Oregonian, Senator Gordon Smith said he was �not a poll-taking politician� when the issue of his opposition to Oregon�s Death with Dignity law was questioned.

�

But that doesn�t ring true for one person polled this summer by Gordon Smith�s campaign measuring public opinion on death with dignity to determine how the Senator should characterize his opposition.

�

Portland Attorney Eli Stutsman, political strategist in the 1994 and 1997 death with dignity campaigns and the attorney who defended Oregon�s Death with Dignity Law in Lee v. Oregon, and is currently working on appeal in Oregon v. Ashcroft, received a call from Smith�s pollster this summer.

�

�Polls are done with sample sizes of a few hundred people. Gordon Smith has the amazing misfortune of polling me on how he should respond to his opposition to death with dignity,� as Board President for Oregon Death with Dignity, the advocacy organization that passed the law, Stutsman has done more polling on this issue than perhaps any other person in Oregon.

�

�As someone who knows how to craft polls, I�m always intrigued to be called on one.� The poll was obviously testing Smith�s opposition to death with dignity and what the best response would be.� We�ve always anticipated he would say his opposition was �principled� and that he would expect voters to give him a pass on it, despite their overwhelming support for the issue. But how principled is a poll-tested response from a politician claiming not to be a poll-taker?� Stutsman asked.

�

�Smith�s personal opposition to the issue should not be the issue � we always respect a person�s personal views � but the fact he actively works against the citizens of his state in Congress and supports John Ashcroft�s effort to overturn the law, that should be a problem for Oregon voters,� Stutsman added.

�

FOR MORE ON SMITH�S OPPOSITION go to www.3peasinapod.org

�

Defend dignity. Take action.

You are the key to ensuring well-crafted Death with Dignity laws for all Americans. With your financial and volunteer help, the Death with Dignity National Center, a 501(c)(3), non-partisan, non-profit organization, has been the leading advocate in the death with dignity movement. Member contributions helped us pass a new Death with Dignity law in Washington, defend the Oregon law, and provide education and outreach programs for the vitality of the death with dignity movement.

donate today

Stay Connected

Sign up for the latest news and information about Death with Dignity.

Additional ways to stay in touch:

TwitterFacebookRSS

About Death with Dignity

The greatest human freedom is to live, and die, according to one's own desires and beliefs. From advance directives to physician-assisted dying, death with dignity is a movement to provide options for the dying to control their own end-of-life care.

Death with Dignity National Center is the leader in this movement, successfully establishing, advancing and defending the landmark Oregon and Washington Death with Dignity Acts.

Learn more about our family of organizations.

Political Action Fund

Capitol BuildingThe Death with Dignity National Center partners with the Oregon Death with Dignity Political Action Fund to conduct lobbying and political activities in order to achieve the enactment of Death with Dignity laws in other states.

Learn more about the Oregon Death with Dignity Political Action Fund.

Patients & Families

family timeThe Death with Dignity National Center was formed out of a profound commitment to the idea that personal end-of-life decisions should be made solely between a patient and a physician. We are pleased to provide you with support and information as you face the difficult challenges ahead.

Find resources for patients and families.

Research Center

person studyingWe have compiled a comprehensive collection of legal briefs, journal articles, and newspaper clippings. We invite you to explore the wide array of information we have collected throughout our history.

Dive into the archives of the National Center.