The word euthanasia has acquired a complex meaning in modern America. There are several types of euthanasia that must be defined in order to avoid confusion. The two most commonly referred to types are active and passive. Passive euthanasia is the process of quickening the death of a person by withdrawing or withholding some form of life support or life

sustaining technology. Fundamentally the idea behind passive euthanasia is letting nature take its course. This includes but is not limited to removing respirators, nourishment, or halting necessary medication. In contrast, active euthanasia involves causing the death of a person through a direct action in response to request from that person. This is also called mercy killing or physician assisted suicide. This is the process of a physician supplying information and or the means of committing suicide to a patient. This would include writing a prescription for a lethal dose of sleeping pills or providing the patient with a !

Legislation is not the only issue of concern. Religion is an individual concern to many different people. Christians for example are strong opponents of euthanasia. One reason is because euthanasia is contrary to Judeo-Christian ethics. Many religious groups within Christian, Muslim, Jewish and other religions believe that God gave life and therefore only God should take life away. Suicide would then be considered as a rejection of God's sovereignty and loving plan. Christians feel that we are all masters of our own lives, but that's suicide should never be an option. Many other faith groups believe that human suffering can have a positive value for the terminally ill person and for their direct family. A Roman Catholic document mentions that some people prefer to moderate their use of painkillers, in order to accept voluntary at least a part of their sufferings and thus associate themselves in a conscious way with the sufferings of Christ at the time of crucifixion. Some Jews feel that pain and suffering in this world acts as atonement for sins and transgressions and may benefit them in entering the world to come. The two main arguments offered by Christians and other religious groups are the following: life is a gift from God and that each individual is a gift. Thus only God can start a life and only God should be allowed to end it. Also, God does not send us any experience that we cannot handle. God supports people and suffering. To actively seek an end to one's life would represent a lack of trust in God.

There comes a point then when an illness takes so much control of a person that they are not able to do anything for themselves. At this point euthanasia is especially controversial because of the distinctions between active and passive. The distinction between active and passive euthanasia is crucial for medical ethics. The thought behind the distinctions is “that it is permissible, at least in some cases, to withhold treatment and allow a patient to die, but it is never permissible to take any direct action to kill the patient” (Weir 24). This distinction is all too important to most doctors. It is the duty of doctors to repair illnesses and pain. Thus euthanasia would be contradictory to everything a doctor stands for. This idea is eloquently summed up in statement made in The New England Journal of Medicine by the Massachusetts Medical Society:

A prime example of this dilemma is Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Dr. Kevorkian is a doctor that has been all over the media precisely for this reason. He found it more important and moral to end someone’s life that was suffering unbearably rather than prolonging his or her pain. Euthanizing 48 people to date, his work has become the center of attention for many euthanasia-related cases. Kevorkian has taken much criticism for his views and actions especially from the American Medical Association. In a statement given by the AMA they denounce the actions of Kevorkian and physicians who share his views:

Many states in the United States and other countries engage in a more passive type of euthanasia. What I am referring to is commonly known as a health-care proxy or the do not resuscitate order. These procedures are usu

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