Madame van de Put obviously felt that it was in Corrine's best interest not to prolong her life. Dr. N.J. Berrill also agrees with this line of thinking. He disagrees with the way society pushes defectives out of sight by placing them in institutions. Berrill's reasoning supports my feelings toward prolonging the lives of sick, suffering, or deformed individuals who have nothing to look forward to in life. The only product of these efforts is that the individual is still suffering.
Euthanasia serves as a means of peace for the relatives as well as for the afflicted.
This is the case with Herman H. Nagel of Arizona. The reason he did this was that he feared dying before her and leaving her helpless. I dressed her, fed her and looked after her every need. Nagel was acquitted on grounds of temporary insanity. The fact that so many parents who have terminated the lives of their terminally ill or severely retarded children have been acquitted or found not guilty goes to show how much sympathy most people have for their plight.