Mercy killing is a well-known phenomenon in almost every culture. It happens when someone causes death in another individual with some belief that the death would be good for the victim. But when the facts come to light, everyone agrees that death was not the best option under those circumstances.

For example, spouses sometimes kill their loved ones under what turns out to be the false belief that they have cancer. When the body is autopsied by the medical examiner, sometimes no cancer is found. When such mistakes are made by well-meaning spouses, in retrospect even they probably agree that the death was a harm to the victim. Such cases are correctly called "mercy killings".

On the other hand, there are situations in which the patient really was suffering an incurable and painful disease. And when all the facts become known, even people who were initially against a chosen death agree that death is a better option than continuing the meaningless suffering. Increasingly, due to modern life-support systems, the patient is unconscious or otherwise unable to make medical decisions. Then the proxies must gather all of the relevant information and explore all the remaining medical options before deciding that death would be the best course of action for this person or former person.

When the facts and opinions add up to death being the wisest course of action, then this death should be called a "merciful death". This is parallel to a voluntary death which could have been chosen by the patient himself or herself if he or she was still able to make medical decisions. And often the proxies will have asked themselves: What would this individual have chosen if he or she knew everything that we know? If the patient would have chosen a voluntary death, then the proxies are justified in calling it a merciful death when they must make the life-ending decision for the patient.

Laws should be re-written wherever necessary so that proxies do in fact have the same powers to choose death for a patient who has now lost that power to decide for him or herself. None of us should lose the right to die merely because we can no longer authorize the necessary actions or non-actions ourselves.

PL SUBMIT YOUR IDEAS ON THIS BURNING & SENSITIVE ISSUE