Scott Griffeth, age 11, of Magnolia, Ark., for his question:

WHAT IS EUTHANASIA?

Euthanasia is commonly called mercy killing. It is the practice of painlessly putting to death persons who have incurable, painful or distressing diseases or handicaps.

The practice's name comes from the Greek words for good and death.

Some people who support the euthanasia theory say that it allows a person to die with dignity instead of being kept barely alive by artificial means.

However, euthanasia is illegal in the United States, Canada and almost every other country in the world. Almost every religious group considers the practice as either suicide or murder, and, therefore, completely immoral.

Is the practice good or bad? Most people say it is bad but agree there will be much more discussion on the subject before the question is finally resolved.