Assisted suicide occurs when a doctor provides a patient with the means to end his or her life by prescribing a fatal dose of medication. The patient takes the drugs independently of the doctor. This procedure differs from euthanasia, in which the doctor administers the fatal dose or performs some other act, such as a lethal injection, that ends the patient's life. Like euthanasia, assisted suicide is illegal in many states. Assisted suicide has appeared frequently in the news since the 1990s. Dr. Jack Kevorkian, a proponent of this practice, played a minor role in more than one hundred suicides before being charged with murder. Ironically, his highly publicized efforts may have done his cause more harm than good. Concern over his activities has led to laws against assisted suicide in his state, Michigan, as well as other states. In 1999, Dr. Kevorkian was convicted of second-degree murder in Michigan for practicing euthanasia, which is illegal in all states. He was released from prison in 2007. Opponents point out that legalizing assisted suicide and euthanasia could lead to serious consequences. One fear is that dying people might not receive adequate care if euthanasia seemed like a cheaper and easier alternative. Another fear is that choice and the right to determine one's destiny may not always be the deciding factors. Voluntary euthanasia could lead to the involuntary euthanasia of individuals incapable of making the choice or deemed unworthy of life. This occurred during the 1930s and 1940s, when Germany's Nazi rulers suppressed the mentally retarded and others they classified as "defective." Those who oppose assisted suicide believe that taking life is wrong under any circumstances. They are... at the center of the card... a gift from God. No one should decide the fate of another human being. Therefore, assisted suicide should not be legalized because it puts human life in the balance. Works Cited Works Cited Advameg, Inc. "Euthanasia - Body, Life, History, Beliefs, Cause, Time, Person, Human Being, Definitions of Euthanasia, Definitions of Assisted Suicide, Arguments for Euthanasia." Encyclopedia of death and dying. 2010. Network. 10 December 2010. .Hassan, Mahjabeen. “Euthanasia: Should Humans Be Given the Right to Play God?” Serendip. Network. December 10, 2010. .Saunders, Peter. "Ethicsforschools.org - Euthanasia." Index. 2002. Network. 10 December. 2010. .