ous believers feel that euthanasia is unethical andimmoral. For example, Rabbi Joseph Edelheit states, “I would support activeeuthanasia and even some selected cases of physician-assisted suicides with theawareness and participation of the dying person and his or her family and closestfriends. I make this statement fully aware that life is a unique divine gift” (45). Rabbi Edelheit believes that God has granted us this final act of free will. Hebelieves that we must humanely support euthanasia requested by patients andsurrogates, especially those lying in vegetative states or those who cannot die forvarious legal reasons. He asks, “How can we justify this indignity to them and theirfamilies?” (47). He strongly feels that those suffering deserve to die with dignity. But does euthanasia ensure death with dignity? In all actuality, “ ‘Death withdignity’ has become a catch phrase, but there’s nothing dignified about the methods[euthanasia activists] advocate. For example, one euthanasia organizationdistributes pamphlets on how to cause suffocation with a plastic bag. Most of JackKevorkian’s ‘subjects,’ as he calls them, have been gassed to death with carbonmonoxide and some have had their bodies dumped in vehicles left in parking lots”(Euthanasia 1). Also, the most common method of ‘mercy killing’ is withholding offood and fluids. This process of mercy killing can take up to forty days before thepatient dies of starvation or dehydration. When food and fluids are withheld, thebody’s organs fail, causing severe abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting, alongwith depression, confusion, and delusions. This must be one of the most agonizingways to die and could hardly be considered a ‘dignified’ means of death. MatthewRoberts strongly expresses his feeling towards euthanasia by stating, “...‘Death withdignity’ is the ...
