It seems that Dr. Death is up to his old tricks again. Others may know him as Dr. Jack Kevorkian or perhaps by a more courteous alias such as the “Angel of Mercy,” who assists his patients’ suicides for a peaceful end to their misery.

Kevorkian’s use of active euthanasia first caused a stir in 1990 and periodically has been in the media spotlight, as well as the butt of countless jokes, ever since.

Despite frequent criticisms surrounding the doctor’s controversial actions, active euthanasia should not automatically be stigmatized.

In fact, assisted suicide should be, and often is, condoned for a number of circumstances.

Active euthanasia is a favorable option over passive euthanasia, which is eventual death through the withholding of treatment. For example, some parents whose newborns suffer with massive congenital defects choose not to treat their infants. In this case, parents may opt for assisted suicide instead of watching their babies endure a slow, painful death.

A more common justification for active euthanasia is terminal illness such as cancer, in which patients choose to die quickly rather than dragging out the process at home or in hospice centers.

Not all of Kevorkian’s principles are heinous or wrong. I do believe that some of the assisted suicides have been justified. It’s his consistent pushing of the unsteady line concerning euthanasia that makes his actions shady.

Kevorkian has been crossing his boundaries since day one. But he takes tiny steps forward, so his progress is largely overlooked by the public.

Take a look at the pattern he’s developed throughout the past eight years. Kevorkian’s early assisted suicides were narrowed to only the terminally ill. However, doctors say he has moved on to patients with multiple sclerosis, paralysis and even arthritis.

Cutting the process of death short is one thing. Helping someone die because of physical limitations is another.

Health experts are concerned that active euthanasia will become the “easy” way out for disabled and chronically ill patients. Arthur Caplan, director of the Center of Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania, has reported that a lot of people are biased or misinformed about disability.

Caplan said he worries that society may embrace assisted suicide as a first option rather than a last resort.

Another issue is the outrageous cost of health care, which may compel some patients either to avoid pricey treatments, or even worse — that their loved ones may coerce them into choosing active euthanasia.

And what about Kevorkian’s stunt involving his latest patient, quadriplegic Joseph Tushkowski?

Apparently, Tushkowski’s kidneys were removed from his body following a lethal injection and offered to doctors across the nation. According to Wednesday’s Columbia Daily Tribune, Kevorkian’s offer generated no takers, and doctors refused the organs because of a lack of proof that the kidneys were extracted through proper procedures.

Even more disturbing is that a coroner reported that whoever withdrew the organs mutilated Tushkowski’s body in the process.

Kevorkian could face felony charges if he performed the procedure without the presence of another doctor, or if the surgery did not take place in a licensed medical facility.

What’s his excuse? Neither he nor Tushkowski’s family is talking.

The bottom line is, the idea of assisted suicide — especially involving Kevorkian — is spinning out of control. It’s becoming more common and less shocking, and defining a limit is increasingly difficult.

Kevorkian never should have assisted a quadriplegic’s suicide in the first place. Tushkowski was in no known physical pain. His suffering was emotional, and for this, treatment is available.

Studies show that more than 85 percent of quadriplegics are satisfied with the quality of their lives; yet more than half, at one point in their lives, have considered suicide, according to research from a Chicago-based disability organization.

This isn’t the only instance in which Kevorkian has helped a paralyzed patient commit suicide. And unless some boundaries are set in stone, it certainly will not be the last.

A cure for paralysis, or forms of chronic illness, may not be guaranteed, but nothing in life is. Death should not be a convenient answer; unlike a terminal illness, at least there’s hope.

Active euthanasia is not the work of monsters.

But the “easy way out” — Kevorkian’s style — may someday turn it into that.

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Staci Hupp is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Grimes. She is the editor in chief of the Daily.