Euthanasia Awareness

             Euthanasia Awareness.
             The euthanasia movement was upset in 2002 when Nancy Crick, a supporter of active euthanasia, committing suicide by swallowing a fatal dose of medication. At the age of 69, Ms. Crick was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Several friends and family members, who accompanied her at the time of her death, were devastated to learn that the autopsy showed no evidence of new cancer that would have caused her "terminal" death. With this news, the physicians with the Australian Medical Association reconfirmed their standing against active euthanasia (Steel 32).
             Human life is sacred and no one should have the right to take that life, therefore active euthanasia, or assisted suicide, should remain illegal. Death should come naturally, with medications as needed to control pain and suffering, but without assisted suicide. Others feel that active euthanasia is the answer and try to promote this as the "dignified death.".
             Controversy over euthanasia creates a problem because people are exhausting valuable time, energy, and resources on trying to legalize euthanasia when the existing laws are already adequate. Euthanasia is the term most people associate with helping someone commit suicide, yet this assisted suicide, or mercy killing, is more accurately defined as "active euthanasia." .
             In Oregon, laws have been passed to allow physicians the right to preform active euthanasia, also known as physician-assisted suicides. The Hemlock Society, and other similar groups of people, promote active euthanasia and have even attempted to pass laws in California .
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             and Washington on this controversial issue during the 1990's. However, these attempts were rejected. Active euthanasia is legal in the Netherlands, but this is the only other country that accepts this type of physician-assisted suicide.