Physician Active Euthanasia

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* from the Greek ευθανασία meaning "good death" * refers to the practice of ending a life in a painless manner * some forms of voluntary euthanasia are legal in Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland, * Physician-assisted suicide is legal in four US states: Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Vermont. * from the Greek words "eu"- good and "thanatos"-meaning death; combined means “well-death” or "dying well" * Active Euthanasia - To end a person's life by use of drugs, whether by oneself or with the aid of a physician. * Passive Euthanasia - To end a person life by not taking the necessary and ordinary action to maintain life. This can be done by withdrawing water, food, drugs, medical or surgical procedures.…show more content…
* Passive Euthanasia - To end a person life by not taking the necessary and ordinary action to maintain life. This can be done by withdrawing water, food, drugs, medical or surgical procedures. * Physician-Assisted Suicide - Suicide accomplished with the aid of a medical doctor intentionally providing a person with an overdose of prescription medication. Assisted Suicide - Suicide accomplished with the aid of another person. * Physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia are legal and widely practiced in the Netherlands where:About 9% of all deaths were a result of physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia in 1990 * Virtually every established medical and nursing organization in the U.S declares physician-assisted suicide is unethical. * There are no laws, medical associations, church denominations, or right-to-life groups who insist that unnecessary, heroic, or truly futile treatments be provided to prolong life and all recognize the right of competent patients to refuse medical treatment. * 95% of cancer pain is controllable and the remaining 5% can be reduced to a tolerable…show more content…
* Jack Kevorkian, MD, the pathologist sentenced on Apr. 13, 1999 to 10-25 years in prison for his role in the euthanasia of Thomas Youk was paroled on June 1, 2007 after serving 8 years. * Between Oct. 27, 1997 (when the Oregon Death with Dignity Act was passed) and 2007, 341 people in the state of Oregon have died from lethal drugs prescribed under the terms of the Oregon Death with Dignity Act. * On Nov. 5, 2008, Washington became the second US state to legalize physician-assisted suicide after voters approved a ballot initiative (59% to 41%) to implement the Washington Death with Dignity Act. * The original text of the ancient Greek Hippocratic Oath, written sometime between 460 and 380 BC, contained prohibitions against surgery, abortion, and euthanasia. * The earliest American statute to explicitly outlaw assisted suicide was enacted in New York on Dec. 10,

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