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Euthanasia

A slow, painful, undignified death is a fate that most of us would not wish on our worst enemies.Two hundred years ago, to question the absolute worth of human life was an unforgivable offense. Individuals who attempted suicide were often punished in courts, and even sent to work camps. Those who were successful were often buried with stakes in their hearts, and the state confiscated their property rather than dispersing it to their relatives. If taking one’s own life were so serious, asking a doctor to help one commit suicide would have been unthinkable. Although our society is certainly more liberal today, physician assisted suicide remains a perplexing question, both legally and morally..
By definition, assisted suicide is a type of euthanasia or "good death," a term associated with ending a patient’s suffering by causing death (Webster, 1995). Euthanasia is categorized as either active or passive. Active euthanasia or "mercy killing" refers to actions taken with the intention of ending a patient’s life (Potter, 1997). Active euthanasia is illegal in most settings, and some people consider it to be the same as murder. Passive euthanasia refers to allowing a patient to die, making no attempt to hasten or prolong the process even if the means are available (Potter, 1997). Allowing a patient to refuse life sustaining treatment and removing a feeding tube at the patient’s request are examples of passive euthanasia. The patient will die, but the cause will be a natural process.It is called suicide when a person takes his or her own life, and assisted suicide when a person helps another to take his or her own life. Assisted suicide straddles the line between active and passive euthanasia. The caregiver generally provides the means of death, but the patient takes the action.
The first argument for euthanasia is a utilitarian one. “Actions,” according to the utilitarian John Stuart Mill, “are right as they tend...