Judge: Group must disclose donors

SEATTLE, July 10 (UPI) -- A federal judge in Washington state has ruled that a group opposed to assisted suicide must identify those who have given money for its radio ads.

U.S. District Court Judge John Coughenour ruled Wednesday that Human Life of Washington must obey state election laws while its legal challenge to those laws is pending, the Seattle Times reported.

Advocates of physician-assisted suicide are gathering signatures to place a referendum, Initiative 1000, on the ballot. The group argues that if its ads to not mention the initiative, they are issue advocacy and not election ads.

The state says that voters have a right to know who is funding the commercials.

"Washington voters have a right to follow the money in political campaigns," said Linda Dalton, a senior assistant attorney general.

Coughenour said that he balanced the chance the group might succeed in its suit, which he found to be small, against the damage done by forcing it to reveal the names of donors.