10 to 20 minutes by paralyzing the respiratory system. A Dutch doctor who performs euthanasia is not permitted to attribute death to "natural causes" on the death certificate. Rather, he or the coroner must inform the police that a medically aided death has occurred. The police, in turn, report to the district attorney, who decides whether to prosecute.18Recently, Dr. Jack Kevorkian killed a man suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease and gave the videotape to "60 Minutes." Thomas Youk, 52, was killed by lethal injection of potassium chloride at the hands of Dr. Kevorkian. The ex-pathologist has claimed to have taken part in over 130 assisted deaths, but this time Dr. Kevorkian taken his work to a new level: he had injected the poisons himself, rather than rigging up his homemade "suicide machine" so the patient could kill himself.When Michigan banned assisted suicide in September, Kevorkian decided it was time for a new-- and perhaps final--showdown in court. This new mercy killing case revived the long and contentious debate over whether we have the right to die--and whether doctors should take part in their patients' deaths. More than 30 states have banned assisted suicide--the act of helping a person take his own life. Now Kevorkian has gone a step further, to euthanasia--the act of actually carrying out a mercy killing.19With his new step toward active euthanasia, Dr. Kevorkian may have lost a number of his supporters. A Detroit Free Press pool showed most Michigan residents were wary of Kevorkian's latest move. And some assisted suicide activist who once idolized Kevorkian are refusing to support his graduation to euthanasia. Even if he is aquitted of the first degree murder charge, he could find that he is no longer takn serious and could hurt actually his cause.20Euthanasia opponents envision a bleak future for dying patients who don't have access to health insurance, adequate pain control treatment, or the money to pay for long ter...
