The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-01-17
Move To LegaGze
Mercy Killings
Being Sponsored
National Educational Drive
to Precede introduce
ton of Bills
By FRANK YOUNG
United Press Staff Correspondent

NEW YORK, Jan. II. (UP)-
Formation of national organi2a-
ton for the legalization of mercy
killings was announced yesterday
by DR.. Chas. Francis Potter, lead
er fthe first humanist society
of New York.
The group will conduct a ma
tional educational campaign and
prepare and introduce bills on the
subject into state legislatures and
congress, he said. .
1t will be known as the National
Society for the Legalization of
Euthanasia and the board Of di
rectors and the advisory board
will include 40 prominent Ameri-
can and British leaders in the le-
gal, medical, educational, minis
terial, and literary professions.
1.-The establishment of the Gu
thanasia society is in response to
a real need increasingly recog-
nized by the thoughtful people Of
this country" Potter said.
PERSONALLY, my experiences as
a Clergyman for many years have
forced me to recognize the neces-
sity for laws permitting ehthan-
asia in certain cases and hinder
proper restrictions. ] have seen
many middle-aged and elderly per-
sons, mostly women, dying In pro
longed agony from such diseases
as cancer. They have begged me
to bring them secretly some quick
acting poison pills to put them out
of their misery"
He pointed out that in every
actual" case of mercy killing
here or in England officials have
refused to demand the death pen
atty showing that "public senti1
ment is far ahead of the law"
"When euthanasia is advocated,
there is sure to be some one who
says it is against the 10 command
mentS yet in the World war,
where all the participating nations
were professedly Christian, 10,-
100000 men were Killed. the
stocky, gray-haired minister said.
ut seems that if the killing is
done wholesale and in anger and
bitter hate, the 10 commandments
can be set aside. Perhaps the time
has come to forget Moses and
listen to the words of Jesus,
Blessed are the mercifuP."
rTho ;,nnrn hfn inconn alsn chnnI Il
be euthanized because there are
100000 people in insane asylums,
most of whom are incurable, Pot
ter said. "How long can the sane
stay sane if their taxes rise much
higher for the support Of the in
sane?"
He said that adequate safe
guards to prevent the misuse of
euthanasia would be included in
bills introduced into legislatures.
"Some people argue that only
God has the right to give and take
life, but we recognize in our laws
the right to kill enemies in war,
the right to put murderers to
death. and the right to commit
murder in self-defense," Potter
said. "To these exceptions should
be added the right in all loving
mercy to put an end to the intol-
cradle existence of incurable suf-
ferers." .r
Members of the board of direc-
tors include DR.. Harry Elmer
Barnes, historian; Rabbi Sidney f.
Goldstein of the Free Synagogue,
New York; DR.. Frank H. Hawkins,
professor of sociology, Smith col
lege; DR.. George H. Parker, pro-
fessor of zoology, Harvard; Dr..
Clarence Cook Little, president of
the American Birth Control league
and managing director of the
American Society for the Control
of Cancer, Bar Harbor, Me-; Dr..
Stephen S. Visher, professor of
geography, Indiana university, and
DR.. Arthur l.. Weatherly, minister
of the Unitarian church, Lincoln,
Neb.
Among the advisory board men,
bers are Sherwood Anderson, au-
thor; DR.. George F. Arps, dean of
the graduate school, Ohio State
university; DR.. Samuel ]. Dimes,
professor of zoology, University of
California; DR.. Francis E. Lloyd,
professor of botany, McGill uni
versity; DIR. William McDougall,
professor of psychology, Duke uni
versity; DR.. M. A. Warmer, ply
stefan. Bridgeport, Conn; and DR..
Albert E. Wiggam, lecturer and
writer, New York. The English
members of this board include
Havelock Ellis, Julian Huxley and
c. ]. Bond, chairman Of the ex-
ecutive committee of the English