In the Netherlands citizens carry cards asking doctors to please not end their lives. This is because, according to Advocates For Better Care,
"1/3 of the euthanasia deaths in the Netherlands were done without the patients consent."

Wesley J. Smith, in an article entitled The Living Will's Fatal Flaw, published in the May 4, 1994 edition of The Wall Street Journal reports, "Once a living will is signed the patient gives up the protections of informed consent, leaving all health care decisions in the hands of the medical profession." He goes on to say that, "There is a growing body of evidence that living wills are being misapplied so as to deny care to people with treatable medical conditions."

According to the International Anti-Euthanasia Task Force (IAETF) July - August 1994 an op-ed piece appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle 6/22/94 that reflects the growing sentiment and arrogance of doctors.  Bruce G. Bartlow, MD, in a piece entitled We Must Start To Ration Life on the Respirator states, "As director of intensive care at a community hospital I squander millions of dollars on patients too elderly or ill ever to return to meaningful function…They often have nothing to offer their families except grief." Bartlow goes on to shamelessly confess, "I will continue to tell some patients and their families, 'No, it's wasteful and unfair and pointless to keep you alive in this condition.'" This growing sentiment appears to be selectively extended to the poor, elderly, cancer patients, alcoholics, etc…

The following stories exhibit the problem with doctors determining value of life.  The life of an alcoholic, cancer victim, the financially less fortunate or the elderly may appear to someone else to have little value.  These people deeply loved their relatives.