Why I Believe In Voluntary Euthanasia

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longer a crime, although under health
laws a person can in most states be forcibly placed in a psychiatric
hospital for three days for evaluation.

But giving assistance in suicide remains a crime, except in the
Netherlands in recent times under certain conditions, and it has never been
a crime in Switzerland, Germany, Norway and Uruguay. The rest of the world
punishes assistance in suicide for both the mentally ill and the terminally
ill, although the state of Oregon recently (Nov. l994) passed by ballot
Measure 16 a limited physician-assisted suicide law. At present (Feb. l995)
this is held up in the law courts.

Even if a hopelessly ill person is requesting assistance in dying for
the most compassionate reasons, and the helper is acting from the most
noble of motives, it remains a crime in the Anglo-American world.
Punishments range from fines to fourteen years in prison. It is this catch-
all prohibition which I and others wish to change. In a caring society,
under ...

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clearly made a considered decision. An individual has
the ability nowadays to indicate this with a "Living Will" (which applies
only to disconnection of life supports) and can also, in today's more open
and tolerant climate about such actions, freely discuss the option of
euthanasia with health professionals, family, lawyers, etc.

The euthanasia has not been carried out at the first knowledge of a
life-threatening illness, and reasonable medical help has been sought to
cure or at least slow down the terminal disease. I do not believe in giving
up life the minute a person is informed that he or she has a terminal
illness. (This is a common misconception spread by our critics.) Life ...

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