taking one's life

Topic: guilty as charged, but

Mercy killing –euthanasia- has long been a subject of great controversy. There is no better example than the one at hand. It certainly seems harsh in this particular case since its obvious Gilbert loved his wife very much and just couldn’t stand to see her continue to suffer in his presence. Roswell Gilbert had a difficult decision to make. His wife had Alzheimer’s disease and was in terrible pain. She begged and pleaded with him to end her life and put an ending to the pain she was dealing with. He succumbed to her wishes and laid her to rest permanently.
He was later brought up on charges and went to jail for murder in the first degree. The court didn’t have any sympathy for the old man acting out of his good will to do what he thought was right. The court doesn’t look at these things to them murder is murder no matter how you plead your case. I can’t blame him for making the decision he did. I would have made the same choice if I was in Mr. Gilbert’s shoes. He was only doing what he believed was the best for his wife.
There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to euthanasia. Someone who is against euthanasia could argue that a person who practiced would be playing god. Those who wish to defend euthanasia could argue back that euthanasia stops a persons suffering. I believe the patient and/or their family should be the only ones to decide if euthanasia is the right way to go. The government, church and everyone else should keep their opinions to themselves. Unlike abortion where someone is deciding for the unborn child, I believe in euthanasia or assisted suicide, as long as the person without question agrees, should be a personal choice.
The case involving Mr. Gilbert will become a keystone of future legislation on euthanasia. The supreme courts need to set guidelines for cases involving euthanasia. The debate over physician-assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia will soon reach its most important stage in this country. The intensity of the debate on both issues will grow during the wait for rulings this year by the superme court.