In response to the article "Whose Life is it Anyway?" in the April issue, I would like to state the reasons why I feel physician-assisted suicide or "mercy killing" is wrong. The dictionary defines murder as "the premeditated killing of a human being." This definition is clear and it does not make any special exceptions for mercy killing. It simply states that it is murder if you carry out a plan to take the life of a human being, no matter how good the intentions behind it are. To say that you support mercy killing is to say that you don't believe that murder is wrong.

The concept of murder being a great evil is not a new one. Murder has been a serious crime in most countries for centuries. Secondly, the Fifth Commandment states "Thou shalt not kill." When these two facts are put together, it becomes clear that murder is not only against the laws of man, but against those of God.

The device that Dr. Kevorkian provides for his patients allows them to press a button when he or she wishes to die, thus commit suicide. Dr. Kevorkian does not murder the patient, the patient murders him or herself. This is wrong because murder, whether it be by another or by oneself, is still murder and the laws of society and God go against it.

To me, the "mercy killing" issue is a simple one. God gives the gift of life, and only God has the right to take it. It is a horrible thing to see a loved one suffering in a hospital bed, and your only wish is to alleviate their suffering. Unfortunately that is not always possible. Life is not always fair. If a person is only being kept alive by machines, that plug may be pulled and the patient may die a natural death. Then God decides, not Dr. Kevorkian.

Only when you understand what murder truly is do you come to appreciate the laws against it. Laws against murder are not only religious, but secular. These are laws that should be upheld. n