Assisted suicide occurs when a doctor provides a patient with the means to end their life by prescribing a lethal dose of medication. The patient takes the medications independently of the doctor. This procedure differs from euthanasia, in which the doctor administers the lethal dose or performs another act, such as a lethal injection, that ends the patient's life. Like euthanasia, assisted suicide is illegal in many states. Assisted suicide has frequently made headlines since the 1990s. Dr. Jack Kevorkian, a proponent of the practice, played a supporting role in more than a hundred suicides before being charged with murder. Ironically, his high-profile efforts may have done more harm than good to his cause. Concern over his activities led to the passage of laws against assisted suicide in his own state, Michigan, as well as other states. In 1999, Dr. Kevorkian was convicted of second-degree murder in Michigan for performing euthanasia, which is illegal in all states. He was released from prison in 2007. Opponents point out that legalizing assisted suicide and euthanasia could have serious consequences. One fear is that dying people will not receive appropriate care if euthanasia appears to be a cheaper and easier alternative. Another fear is that choice and the right to determine one's destiny are not always the deciding factors. Voluntary euthanasia could lead to the involuntary euthanasia of individuals incapable of making this choice or deemed unworthy of life. This happened in the 1930s and 1940s, when Germany's Nazi leaders euthanized mentally retarded people and others they considered "deficient." Those who oppose assisted suicide believe that committing suicide is wrong in all circumstances. They are...... middle of paper...... a gift from God. No one should decide the fate of another human. Therefore, assisted suicide should not be legalized because it puts human life at stake. ,Arguments in favor of euthanasia." Encyclopedia of Death and Dying. 2010. Internet. December 10, 2010. .Hassan, Mahjabeen . “Euthanasia: should we give humans the right to play God? Internet. December 10, 2010. “Ethicsforschools.org”. 2010. .