Lesson 6
2009-04-06 英语口语 来源：互联网 作者： ℃
Lester stood trial for his brother' s murder, but was acquitted on November 5, 1973, on the grounds of temporary insanity. The court had determined that he was no longer insane, and Lester was released.
3. Mrs. Ross Killed Her Daughier Because She Loved Her
Mercy killing, or euthanasia (from the Greek, eu-meaning good and thanos-meaning death: thus, "a good death") is against the law. It isb considered a criminal offense. Yet. individuals brought to trial for actual mercy killings are rarely convicted. I.ike I.ester Zygnamiak, they are usually released.
Such was the case with Anna Marie Ross. At twenty-five Mrs. Ross gave birth to her first child, a baby girl she and her husband named paula. The Rosses had wanted a child for several years, but during her pregnancy Mrs. Ross had unknowingly taken a damaging drug called Thalidomide, which caused Paula to be born severely disfigured. The infant had no arms or legs and her face was badly deformed. Although Paula was of normal intelligence, she was totally deaf and had very poor vision.
Paula was expected to live a normal life span. But to survive, she would have to undergo numerous operations. It was expected that she would spend much of her life in hospitals. Anna Ross often stated that she firmly believed her child's normal intelligence would only make her more cruelly aware of her fate. She felt certain the Paula's life would be filled with anguish.
So one night she put Paula to bed and gave her a bottle containing a strong sedative. The baby died painlessly during the night.
Anna Ross readily admitted to the killing. She said. "I killed little Paula because I loved her. I brought her into the world, and she was unable to end her constant pain and misery. I felt I had to send her to God. "
A survey of more than 10,000 people taken by a local newspaper indicated that over 98 percent agreed with Anna Ross's action. Whcn she stood trial, a jury found Mrs. Ross not guilty in under three hours.
4. Innocent or Guilty?
The fact that the majority of persons brought to trial for mercy killing are usually found innocent suggests that the law against it exists only on the books or in theory. But this isn't quite true. Case records indicate that the wheels of justice do not always grind evenly.
While Lester M. Zygnamiak was acquitted, Harold Mohar oi Pennsylvania, involved in a similar case, was not. Mohar was convicted of voluntary manslaughter for killing his blind,cancer-stricken brother who had pleaded with him to do so. He was sentenced to from three to six years in prison and fined $ 500.
As a result of such uncertain consequences, many healthy people have become concerned over their right to die. If stricken with a severe mental or physical disability , they want to be assured that their lives will not be prolonged artificially by medical technology.
5. Legal System Should Be Established
to Deal with Euthanasia
Many countries have legalized mercy killing. In Uruguay the law states that, "The judges are authorized to forgo punishmen,t of a person whose life has been honorable where he commits a homicide motivated by compassion induced by repeated requests by the victim." Switzerland, Norway, and Germany have adopted similar approaches.
American law appears in need of revision. However, some feel that legalized euthanasia would invite abuse. Any form of murder might be conveniently dubbed" mercy killing " by unscrupulous persons. In response, some euthanasia proponents have suggested that our legal system establish an evaluation body to judge which requests for a mercy killing are valid before the act is committed.
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