Contact: Nancy Stith, Georgia Right to Life, 770-339-6880

NORCROSS, Ga., Feb. 7, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- "Monday's Supreme Court decision striking down our pitifully weak assisted suicide ban will open the door for Georgia to become a haven for merchants of death unless we act," said GRTL President, Dan Becker.

He urged the Georgia Legislature to remedy today's ruling by enacting a complete ban against doctor-prescribed death and other forms of assisting suicide, before the current Georgia legislative session ends.

"We understand the pain of terminal illnesses," Becker said, "but taking a human life in the name of mercy or compassion is morally wrong. We should concentrate on providing help to those in desperate situations, not kill them."

The previous law, passed in 1994, only prevented assisted suicides that were offered publically. The court said the ban violated free speech guarantees, but noted that assisted suicide itself is not illegal in Georgia.

Attorneys for the state argued the law was aimed at stopping a "Dr. Kevorkian type actor" from publically offering, and then performing, such suicides.

In its decision, the court said, "Had the State truly been interested in the preservation of human life, however, it could have imposed a ban on all assisted suicides with no restriction on protected speech whatsoever."

Becker pointed out, "There is still plenty of time for the Legislature to honor the sanctity of all human life and completely outlaw this horrific practice, which currently is banned in a majority of states."

The U.S. Supreme Court has already ruled that such bans are constitutional.