Legalization of euthanasia

Even if potential abuse -- as well as the usual abuse critics claim has long existed -- could be completely prevented, the Dutch euthanasia law should be rejected.

Most countries refuse to legally regulate killing on demand. Yet their condemnation of the Dutch law rings hollow since they no longer invest in hospices and palliative medicine.

And euthanasia critics, rightly indignant, often lack understanding for those suffering from incurable illnesses.

A law which sets out to allow killing on demand and regulates its implementation in detail can only produce routine.

The result will be a process which is less humane than the legal gray area which exists everywhere else, in which each case must be examined by public prosecutors.

-- Berliner Zeitung, Berlin