ling. Rather, it is withholding medical treatment that could extend the life, or by withdrawing life support. An example would be a cancer patient who chooses to deny oneself drug or radiation treatment.
             Whether right or wrong, euthanasia may be one of the most difficult decisions we have to deal with in life. We are becoming increasingly aware of medical technologies that can prolong the mechanical functions of the body. But these processes actually make the issue more difficult to approach. Should the patient be kept alive at all costs, even if they otherwise show few signs of life? This is the leading principle in the loss of dignity associated with a terminal disease. Many individuals have spent their final days lying in hospital beds in excruciating pain, while death is delayed by the use of technology. Euthanasia could be a humane way of ending this suffering.
             The first grouped formed in favor of euthanasia was the Voluntary Euthanasia society, begun in England, 1935. The first formed in the United States came shortly after, in 1938, and is known as the Hemlock Society. The Hemlock Society now consists of more than 67,000 members. The purpose of this society is to support one's decision to die, and offer support when one is ready to carry out the procedure. The Hemlock Society also firmly believes that one must have believed in euthanasia for some extended time, prior to ending their lives (Humphrey 186).
             Walter Farquharson, a former moderator of the United Church in Canada strongly believes in the concepts of euthanasia and assisted suicide. He has been through, and felt first hand, the heart wrenching trauma of watching a loved one suffer in agony, while life support systems kept them alive as a mere shadow of their former self. Farquharson feels that the church should propound a public statement on the issue, in
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