Euthanasia Essay: Assisted Suicide is Wrong -- Euthanasia Physician As

Assisted Suicide is Wrong      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A Saskatchewan farmer, Robert Latimer, was sentenced to life in prison last year for the 1993 second-degree murder of his severely disabled daughter, Tracy. He asphyxiated her with exhaust from his pick-up (Heinrich).    Assisted Suicide is somewhat related to Euthanasia. The word Euthanasia comes from the Greek language: eu meaning "good" and thanatos meaning "death". The meaning of the word has evolved from "good death" . It now refers to the act of ending a person's life, at their request. There are two types of Euthanasia. The first, Passive Euthanasia is the death of a person by removing life support equipment, stop taking medication, or not eating and drinking which allows the person to dehydrate or starve to death. These acts are preformed on suffering people so that natural death will happen sooner. The second type of Euthanasia is Active Euthanasia. It is the death of a person through a direct action such as an over dose of pills or a lethal injection.    Assisted Suicide is morally wrong and should be against the law. Killing someone used to be called "murder," now it is "assisted suicide." The Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Episcopal churches have made formal statements that oppose doctor-assisted suicide. They want it to remain that people would not have on option to choose an early death. Many faith groups within Christian, Muslim, Jewish and other religions believe that God gives life and therefore only God should take it away. They feel that we are all stewards of our own lives, but that suicide should never be an option. In June of 1997, the Supreme Court rendered a decision on assisted suicide. They found that the average American has no constitutional r... ...World Book Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. World Book, Inc., Chicago Il. 1882. Pg. 53.    Heinrich, Jeff. " Medical symposium discusses legalizing assisted suicide." The Gazette. January 30, 1996, Internet. Nov. 02, 1997    Hippocrates. World Book Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. World Book, Inc., Chicago Il. 1882. Pg. 227.    "EUTHANASIA AND PHYSICIAN ASSISTED SUICIDE: ALL SIDES." Internet. Nov. 02, 1997 http://www.religioustolerance.org/euthanas.htm    Krauthammer, Charles. "First and Last, Do No Harm." Time. April 15, 1996, Pg. 83.    Saveri, Gabrielle. "An Ethicist Insists Patients Need Help Living Not Dying." People Weekly. May 22, 1995, Pg.91    Shapiro, Joseph P. "Expanding a right to die."U.S. News & World Report. April 15, 1996, Pg. 63.    Sheed, Wilfred. "Dr. Death, a 90's Celebrity." Time. June 3, 1996. Pg. 80.