cedures by the attending physician, thereby allowing the patient to die without intervention from the lack of medical treatment. This is commonly known as “Pulling the Plug”. Physician Assisted Suicide is the act of the physician providing the patient with the means and knowledge to perform life-ending acts, but allowing the patient to carry out the lethal act alone, at his or her own discretion. If a doctor provides a terminally ill patient with a large quantity of morphine, but leaves the patient with the option of if and when to take a lethal dosage, this is considered physician assisted suicide. There are many arguments both for and against euthanasia. Many faith groups within Christian, Muslim, Jewish and other religions believe that God gives life and therefore only God should take it away. Suicide would then be considered an interference of God’s plan for that individual. Therefore, such groups argue that the patient should continue living and suffering until God decides otherwise. Some religious extremist groups take this idea to the extent that they will not seek medical treatment for any condition at all. On the other hand there is a significant percentage of Agnostics, Atheists, Humanists, secularists, non-Christians and liberal Christians in North America who do not accept these theologically based arguments. These groups believe that each person has autonomy over their own life (personal liberty). They believe that a person whose terminal illness is so painful that it causes life to be an unbearable burden should have the right to decide when to end it, and to seek assistance if necessary. They see death a means of relief from intolerable pain. The active political question is whether individuals should be allowed to choose suicide, or whether they should be forced to follow the theological beliefs of the dominant religion. According to data taken from the National Opinion Research Center social ...
