Oregon Public Broadcasting

Washington State Democrats are holding their party convention this weekend.

Democrats say they’re united behind Barack Obama. But the issue of assisted suicide could disrupt that unity. Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports.

A group calling itself Democrats Against Assisted Suicide has fired a shot at former Governor Booth Gardner.

Gardner is leading the campaign for the Death with Dignity Initiative -- modeled on Oregon’s law.

Tom Keefe is former chair of the Spokane County Democratic Party. He doesn’t want the state party to endorse the measure at this weekend’s convention.

Tom Keefe: “Some of us who’ve been involved in the Democratic Party for many years believe that this is the wrong place to go, this initiative would be a huge mistake, it would be a wedge issue that will tend to undermine what some of our other enthusiastic base of support is this fall from the presidential level on down.”

Washington Democratic Party chair Dwight Pelz says assisted suicide may come up. But he doesn’t think it will disrupt the convention.

A spokesman for the Death with Dignity campaign says it’s a personal, not a partisan issue.