Is Euthanasia the same as Murder

1039 Words5 Pages
Although euthanasia to some may seem as a form of murder, it should not be considered murder as it is done in for the alleged benefit of the human being. Euthanasia refers to the practice of ending a life in a painless matter for people who are suffering a terminal illness. Murder on the other hand is the unlawful killing of a human being with a desire to inflict pain, suffering, or death out of impulse or for no reason at all. For some people euthanasia is considered to be morally wrong, but that all depends on a persons personal beliefs but it is not the same as murder as it takes into consideration the person who is suffering and is done with their consent or their families. There are many different forms of euthanasia and because of these different forms, euthanasia has caused many controversies. There is “passive euthanasia” which simply allows a person to die naturally without life support or sometimes referred to as “pulling the plug”. “Active euthanasia” refers to when a doctor takes certain steps in order to end the person’s life. “Voluntary euthanasia” refers to when a person requests that their life be ended or treatment be stopped and is fully aware of the consequences. The last for of euthanasia is “involuntary” which is done without the persons consent for example when they are in a coma and the doctors know that he/she will not come out of it. All in all euthanasia is an action that is taken only when a person a suffering from a terminal illness in order to alleviate their pain and suffering and has no intentions of causing harm to the person. Every person has the right to life but under extenuating circumstances death seems to be the better option and a person suffering has the right to make that decision. Many people wonder “How bad would the quality of someone’s life have to be before they can choose to end it?” and the answer is that it is a
Open Document