Euthanasia

Euthanasia is defined as the practice of ending a life

prematurely in order to end pain and suffering. The process is
also sometimes called Mercy Killing. Euthanasia can fall into
several categories. Voluntary Euthanasia is carried out with
the permission of the person whose life is taken. Involuntary
euthanasia is carried out without permission, such as in the case
of a criminal execution. The moral and social questions
surrounding these practices are the most active fields of
research in Bioethics today. Many Supreme Court cases, such as
Gonzales v. Oregon and Baxter vs. Montana, also surround this
issue.
Voluntary euthanasia is typically performed when a person is
suffering from a terminal illness and is in great pain. When the
patient performs this procedure with the help of a doctor, the
term assisted suicide is often used. This practice is legal in
Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg. It is also legal in the
state of Oregon, Washington and Montana. Passive euthanasia
is carried out by terminating a medication that is keeping a
patient alive or not performing a life-saving procedure. Active
euthanasia involves the administration of a lethal drug or
otherwise actively ending the life. These two types of
procedures carry different moral and social issues.
Euthanasia Debate Controversy
There is a lot of controversy surrounding the issue of
euthanasia and whether or not it should be legal. From a legal
standpoint, the Encyclopedia of American Law categorizes
mercy killing as a class of criminal homicide. Judicially, not all
homicide is illegal. Killing is seen as excusable when used as a
criminal punishment, but inexcusable when carried out for any
other reason. In most nations, euthanasia is considered criminal
homicide: however, in the jurisdictions mentioned above, it is
placed on the other side of the table with criminal punishment.
Arguments regarding the euthanasia debate often depend on
the method used to take the life of the patient. The Oregon
Death with Dignity Act made it legal for residents to request a
lethal injection from a doctor. This is seen in other jurisdictions
as being a criminal form of homicide. However, passive
euthanasia through denial of drugs or procedures is considered
to be legal in almost all jurisdictions. Those who argue for
euthanasia feel that there is no difference. Those who are
against it disagree.
Euthanasia and Religion
Many arguments also hinge on religious beliefs. Many
Christians believe that taking a life, for any reason, is
interfering with God's plan and is comparable to murder. The
most conservative of Christians are against even passive
euthanasia. Some religious people do take the other side of the
argument and believe that the drugs to end suffering early
are God-given and should be used.
One of the main groups of people who are involved with the
euthanasia debate is physicians. One survey in the United
States recorded the opinions of over 10,000 medical doctors
and found that sixteen percent would consider stopping a life-
maintaining therapy at the recommendation of family or the
patient. Fifty five percent would never do such. The study also
found that 46 percent of doctors believe that physician
assisted suicide should be allowed in some cases.
The controversy surrounding euthanasia involves many aspects
of religion, medical and social sciences. As this is one of the
most studied fields of bioethics, one can rest assured that
more studies will be performed to learn more about this issue
and how to best address it.