rmination of a patient's life, on that patient's request, by a doctor; intentionally taking the life of a person upon his or her explicit request by someone else than the person concerned." (www.euthanasia.org/dutch.html).I believe that mercy killing is necessary in extreme cases of serious, incurable diseases, which cause an extraordinary amount of pain and suffering. Not only will the patient suffer through the ordeal, so will the person's family. Every case must be examined thoroughly, of course. A patient is hooked up to life-sustaining equipment such as a respirator for 2-3 years or even more. Who pays for it? Taxpayers pay for it. Who has to tend to that person? Highly paid health care providers tend to that patient. Who pays for their time? Taxpayers do. Is there any hope for recovery? If not, let that patient die peacefully. Our country must follow suit with Holland's ethical guidelines concerning euthanasia. Laws and statutes are changed everyday. Hopefully in the near future we will see a final decision on this matter. ...
