Voluntary euthanasia leads inevitably to involuntary euthanasia. In the Netherlands,legalizing voluntary assisted suicide for those with terminal illness has spread to include nonvoluntary euthanasia for many who have no terminal illnesses. Half the killings in the Netherlands are now nonvoluntary, and the problems for which death in now the legal solution include such things as mental illness, permanent disability and even simple old age. If that ain't significant for you then you probably know facts about World War II and the Nazi holocaust. But did you know that what ended in the 1940's in the gas chambers, started back in the 1930's in nursing homes, geriatric institutions and psychiatric hospitals all over Germany. Such a progression requires only four accelerating factors : favourable public opinion, a handful of willing doctors, economic pressure and a law allowing it. In most Western countries the first three ingredients are present already. When legislation comes into effect and political and economic interests are brought to the table, the generated momentum can get overwhelming and the situation gets out of control. When we"re talking about economic interests, we can talk about the decision of the Oregon state to pay for assisted suicide of some ""low-income"" residents. This means that the government is ready to pay about $500 to get rid of a person! On the other hand, it also affects people, especially doctors. A dutch doctor euthanized a patient because he needed a bed! The patient, a 50 years old woman, had cancer but her doctor gave her morphine that permitted the woman to see her husband and children, but one morning, the doctor came to the hospital and found a different patient in the bed. He asked what had happened. His colleague just said ""It could have taken another week for her to die. I needed the bed"". But that kind of story is not only heard with doctors.
