To the Point

Legalizing Euthanasia

Mercy killing has been accepted in The Netherlands for 18 years. This week, that country became the first to make it explicitly legal, protecting doctors from prosecution as long as strict guidelines are observed, starting with the patient's agreement. With critically ill people from other countries already asking if they can go there to die, the United Nations has voiced concerns that mercy killing could become routine, even trivial. Is the practice strictly voluntary, or are doctors being given the power of life and death? We look at the legalization of euthanasia in The Netherlands, and consider the possible repercussions in the US, with practitioners and opponents from here and abroad. Newsmaker: Arab Stance if US Attacks Iraq The Wall Street Journal reports that a US attack on Iraq is considered "inevitable" by that country's Arab neighbors. The big surprise is that they might be willing to fall in line. Yarislov Trofimov, who wrote the story, reveals why public opposition masks private acquiescence. Reporter's Notebook: Crossing Afghanistan, and the World, by Foot In 1972, Dave Kunst became the first person to circle the landmass of Earth on foot. Recently, the Earthwalker, as he calls himself, penned an account of his crossing of Afghanistan. Traveling to places that have become familiar to other Americans just in the past few weeks, he recounts the perilous journey during which he lost a brother to bandits, but grew to love the Afghan people.