Killing without consent?

The GMC (General Medical Council) found Dr Howard Martin guilty of serious misconduct. Dr Howard Martin, 75 years old, said he gave fatal doses of painkillers to terminally ill patients out of “Christian compassion”. He believes he helped the patients die a peacefull death and with dignity. Dr Martin admits to have “helped two people die without consent”, he claims that “he did not do it because they wanted to die but because they had such dreadful suffering”. His admission comes after he was struck off the medical register for giving 18 vulnerable elderly people axcessivly high dosis of morphine. His son, Paul, 31, was one of those whom he administered a final injection and was dying from cancer in May 1988. In May 2004 Dr Martin was arrested at his practice in Newton Aycliffe, Co Durnham – one of his three surgeries. Relatives of an elderly cancer sufferer raised concerns with police after his death, an examination showed high levels of diamorphine in the man's system. Steve Field, the chairman of the Royal College of General Practitions said he was “horrified” by Dr Martin's admission: “there is no excuse for hastening the death of patioenst and I am absolutely horrified that the doctor seems to indicate that he actually hastened the death of two patients without their consent. I am speechless.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/jun/19/howard-martin-doctor-euthanasia

I do not agree with the behaviour of this Dr Martin. He seems to have killed a lot of people out of compassion but how can you know they consented with it? It is not a one-man's choice to take someones life, it is wrong of Dr Martin to kill the two man without their consent. There is nothing wrong with wanting people not to suffer anymore or wanting them to die with peace and dignity, it is wrong to take justice in to your own hands. Do not get me wrong, I am pro euthanasia! The article does not tell whether or not it was legal for Dr Martin to take those lives. Euthanasia is a peaceful way of stepping out of this life and making your own suffering stop but it is usually a choice and consulted together.