Pro

The International Task Force on Euthanasia wrote in the "FAQs" section of its website, (accessed Aug. 8, 2006):

“Does the government have the right to make people suffer?

Absolutely not. Likewise, the government should not have the right to give one group of people (e.g. doctors) the power to kill another group of people (e.g. their patients). Activists often claim that laws against euthanasia and assisted suicide are government mandated suffering. But this claim would be similar to saying that laws against selling contaminated food are government mandated starvation…

But shouldn’t people have the right to commit suicide?

…Euthanasia and assisted suicide are not private acts. Rather, they involve one person facilitating the death of another. This is a matter of very public concern since it can lead to tremendous abuse, exploitation and erosion of care for the most vulnerable people among us. “

Aug. 8, 2006