Show r Mercy Mercy Deaths 1 Stir Up Storm Of Controversy NEW YORK If If you are suffer suffer- suffering suffering ing racking pains from incurable disease should you have the right to ask your doctor for death by swift painless means Hundreds of ministers and doc doc- doctors doctors tors of New York state believe you should So do more than members of the Euthanasia Society of America Voluntary euthanasia means ending human life by pain pain- painless painless less means to stop incurable phy phy- physical physical suffering but only at the re re- request request re- re request quest of the sufferer On the other hand thousands of other prominent churchmen and andia ia believe with with equal equal con con- con con- von cn mat you yon sham shou not t have that right Around these two V. t points of view today swirls a controversy involving involving ing the Ten Commandments mans man's relation to God and to earth I questions of right and wrong Has lias Many Supporters The Euthanasia society founded in 1938 has many members in science medicine letters and re re- re- re ligion Its founder was Dr Charles Francis Potter Protestant min min- minister minister ister and founder of the first Hu Hu- Humanist Humanist Hu- Hu Humanist manist Society of New York Its officers and advisory council are Dr Henry Sloane Coffin 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 defense of their stands Recently ministers petitioned the New York state legislature for fora a voluntary euthanasia law Among them were Dr Harry Emer Emer- Emerson Emerson son Fosdick minister emeritus of Riverside church chur h and Sidney Gold Gold- Goldstein Goldstein Goldstein stein Rabbi of Temple Emanu Emanu-El both of New York A committee of 1776 physicians also took a stand in favor of mercy death Two years ago 1100 of them petitioned the New York 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 right to merciful death as a release from incurable suffering Opposition Listed Strong active opposition to mercy killing is led by the Roman Cath Cath- Catholic Catholic Catholic olic church Mons Robert E E. E Mc- Mc McCormick McCormick Cormick presiding judge of the New York archdiocese court court and I many other priests are attacking it vigorously in pulpit pamphlet and press Dr John Behnken I president of the Lutheran church- church Missouri synod condemned the I clergymen's petition The Ameri- Ameri I illo Churches representing l Tn- Tn m I bers also condemned euthanasia in I two resolutions I 1 1 Four hundred members of a aNew New York county medical society re re- recently recently re- re recently passed a resolution opposing legalized euthanasia It will be besent beI besent sent to all New York legislators I The Euthanasia society aim is isto isto I to have voluntary euthanasia legal legal- legalized legalized legalized in all states but is currently I concentrating activities in New York The concept is illegal in I every ever state at present The society has drafted a bill which provides that any sane per per- person person person I son of more than 21 who is suffer suffer- suffering suffering suffering ing severe physical pain from a disease for which present medicine knows no cure may send 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 commis commis- commission com commission mis- mis mission I sion including at least two doctors |