Euthanasia is the process of painlessly helping a terminally ill person to die. Known also as assisted suicide or mercy killing, euthanasia is illegal for humans in the United States. Generally, euthanasia is performed by lethal injection, using the same drugs as those on death row are executed. Euthanasia is a volatile issue for many, especially for baby boomer generation ages. Living wills can be drafted for those who do not wish to be kept alive by extraordinary means in the event of terminal illness or brain death. A living will is a simple document that can be drawn up by you or with the help of an attorney. There are different types of euthanasia and they are identified as passive euthanasia,assisted euthanasia and active euthanasia.
Passive euthanasia is the term applied to a doctor’s actions in agreeing to withhold medical treatment from a terminally ill patient. Many times this agreement is made between the patient and the doctor while the patient is still conscious and able to make such a decision. Some individuals even have direct instructions to this effect placed in written form and witnessed by a third-party prior to becoming ill. In other cases, this decision is made by a family member.
Passive euthanasia differs from mercy killing or assisted suicide in that a doctor does not administer a substance or any treatment meant to deliberately end a person’s life. Instead, a doctor will agree to withdraw medical treatment when it is clear that a person will not recover from a terminal illness. As such, this type of euthanasia is viewed by many as a way to end suffering in terminally ill patients. Ways of implementing passive euthanasia may include not feeding a patient or discontinuing the administration of fluids necessary to keep the patient hydrated. By not administering such basic life-sustaining care a terminally ill patient eventually expires. In the absence of an agreement to withhold these elements of care, a patient may linger in a painful or vegetative state for several months, years or even decades. Those in favor of using passive euthanasia when deemed necessary view it as a way to end a person’s suffering when there is nothing else, medically, which can be done to save her or his life.
Active euthanasia is a form of euthanasia in which a doctor takes an active role in ensuring that a patient dies. This is typically in contrast to passive euthanasia in which a doctor merely withholds treatment in order to ensure the death of a patient. Active euthanasia is typically more controversial than passive euthanasia, and is only legal in a handful of countries or regions within certain countries.
Assisted euthanasia sometimes may be done by offering patients drugs that make it possible to die painlessly, and there have even been machines invented that allow disabled patients to self-administer some kind of medication that could kill them. The idea of doctor-assisted suicide has a history going back to ancient times. There are many historical accounts of people suffering some kind of horrible injury in battle or some other circumstance and asking a physician to poison them or end their suffering in some way.In other cases, this decision is made by a family member. Passive euthanasia differs from mercy killing or assisted suicide in that a doctor does not administer a substance or any treatment meant to deliberately end a person’s life.
WHICH COUNTRIES LEGALIZED EUTHANASIA
Euthanasia and the related topic of physician-assisted suicide are extremely controversial moral and legal issues throughout the world. While proponents suggest that a painless death may be preferable to some people that have a prolonged, eventually fatal illness or permanently debilitating condition, opponents cite the intrinsic value of life and the possibility that legalizing euthanasia could lead to severe misuse by doctors. The debate on the ethics behind euthanasia will likely never be settled, as few moral debates ever return a universal agreement. As of 2010, a few countries have laws allowing legalized euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide, including Albania, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, as well as some US states. Some other countries, including Japan and Columbia, have contradictory laws and court precedent on the issue.
Euthanasia,whether voluntary or not,should never be allowed to be legally practised bacause it is the same as legalising murder. There are alternatives to offer the terminally-ill,mentally-ill or disabled persons besides 'mercy killing'. These patiens should be given palliative care,showered with love and most of all,given treatment they rightfully deserve as humans and not be treated as medical problems.
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