Show I I I Mercy Marcy Deaths 1 Stir Up Storm I II Of L Controversy Youe L NEW Y tf YORI-if I you are sufferIng suffer suffer- Ing lag racking pain from Incurable disease should you have the right tight to ask your doctor for death by swift painless means Hundreds of jf ministers and doc doe tors of New Mew York state believe you should So do more than I members e of t the Euthanasia a Society of on America Voluntary euthanasia I means ending human life tife by pain less means to stop incurable phy steal suffering but only at the request re reo quest of the sufferer On the other hand thousands of other prominent churchmen and physicians believe with equal conviction conviction con con- that you should not have that right Around these two points of view today swirls a controversy ing the Ten Commandments mans man's relation to God and down earth down to earth questions of right and wrong Has lIas Many Supporters The Thc Euthanasia society founded in 1938 has haa many members In hi science medicine letters and re reo ligion Its founder was Dr Charles Francis Potter Protestant minIster min min- ister lster and founder rounder of or the first Hu Hu- Humanist Humanist manist Society ty of New York York- Its officers and advisory council are I Dr Henry Sloane Coffin CoUin president emeritus of Union Theological seminary New York Margaret Sanger leader of the birth control movement and Fannie Hurst and Somerset Maugham authors Both sides are working hard In ID defense of their stands Recently ministers petitioned the New York state legislature for a voluntary euthanasia law Among them were Dr Harry Emerson Emerson Emer Emer- son Fosdick minister emeritus of Riverside church and Sidney Goldstein Goldstein Gold Gold- stein Rabbi of Temple Emanu-El Emanu both of New York A committee of 1776 1770 physicians also took a stand in favor of mercy death Two years ago 1100 of them petitioned the New legislature for it The Euthanasia society now Is drafting a petition to the United Nations commission on human rights asking it to recognize as a fundamental human right the tho right to merciful death as a release from incurable suffering Opposition Listed I Strong active opposition to mercy killing is led by the Roman Catholic Catholic Cath Cath- olic olio church Mons Robert E. E Mc Me- McCormick Cormick presiding Judge of the New York archdiocese court and many other priests are attacking it vigorously in pulpit pamphlet and press Dr John Behnken president of the Lutheran church church- Missouri synod condemned the clergymen's petition The American Ameri Ameri- can Council of Christian Churches representing church members mem mem- bers also condemned condemn d euthanasia in ln two i resolutions Four hundred members of a NewYork NewYork New NewYork York county medical society recently recently re- re recently re re- passed a resolution opposing legalized euthanasia It will besent besent be loe sent to all aU New York legislators The Euthanasia society aim is isto isto isto to have voluntary euthanasia legalized legal legal- I in all states but is currently concentrating activities in New York Th The concept is Illegal in 1 every state at present The society has drafted a bill which provides that any sane person per son of more than 21 21 who is suffering suffering suffer suffer- ing severe physical pain from a disease for which present medicine knows no cure send seed a written petition for death to a court of record It must be accompanied by his physicians physician's affidavit The case would be examined by a commission commission commission commis commis- sion including at least two doctors |