Euthanasia (greek for Good)

The word "euthanasia" comes from the greek--eu, "good", and thanatos, "death". Literally, "good death". The dictionary describes euthanasia as "a quiet and easy death, the

means of procuring this or, the action of inducing a quiet and easy death." Euthanasia has a becomes a legal, medical, and ethical issue over which opinions are divided. I feel that if there is no hope for a cure for a terminally ill patient then if they want, let them out of their misery.

There are two different types of euthanasia. One is active euthanasia, which means that a physician or other medical personnel takes a deliberate action that will include death such as: administering an overdose of morphine, insulin, or barbiturates followed by an injection of curare. The second type is passive euthanasia, which is letting a patient die for lack of treatment that has begun. Some examples of passive euthanasia are taking patients off of a respirator or any other form of life-support and stopping the patients food supply (Compton's Encyc).

Who decides if the patient should die? The United States leaves the decision up to the state which usually allows the physician to suggest the option of death to a patient's relatives. Non-terminally ill patients have been put to death without their consent at the request of relatives or the insistence of the physician (Compton's Encyc). In Washington two physicians had different opinions on the subject of assisted suicide. One physician had gotten a call from a patient who had been diagnosed with AIDS and was talking about suicide and said he was now ready to die. He had lost 60 pounds and was in so much pain the doctor placed him on morphine. The physician went to his patient's apartment and showed him how to turn the morphine drip up to a deadly level. Six hours later he

received a phone call and the patient was dead. Another physician received the same request from an AIDS patient. Instead of helping the patient die the physician refused and put him on morphine, steroids, and physical therapy. Just before the patient died in the fall he said that he had a wonderful summer with his family (Courier).

Opposers of euthanasia feel that a person should not have the right to end their life. They think that the patient may consider taking their life into their own hands and fail, and this may create a worse situation. Those against euthanasia say that it is wrong in the religious aspect since it is unnatural to take someone's life no matter what the situation may be. Opposers also feel that "life is a precious thing and it should only be taken by the hands of God". The technology of today has brought and is still bringing new cures everyday. With this modern technology, cures could be discovered for the patient and with suicide cures may come too late. Those against euthanasia believe that helping patients die contradicts the doctor's healing role. They also believe that the "desire for suicide also reflects the failure of many doctors to adequately relieve pain and emotional suffering as death approaches" (Courier).

On the other side of this issue are the supporters of euthanasia. In 1976, the New Jersey Court ruled that doctors may disconnect a mechanical respirator that is keeping a comatose patient alive. Also in 1990, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that people have a constitutional right to have life-sustaining treatment discontinued (Grolier Encyc). A person in a terminal coma may lack all reflexes even those needed to breathe. In these cases a respirator is needed to keep the patient alive. When in a coma for much longer than a month the condition is described as a persistent vegetative state and is usually

considered irreversible (Grolier Encyc). For this reason euthanasia should be legal. If the person has a living will to have the plugs pulled then it should be done. In cases of a vegetative state the patient's family should have the say in what happens to the patient. There is no reason to keep a terminally ill person on life-support when they want to end their pain and suffering.

Half of Americans support euthanasia and half of the medical profession would like to see it become a law and fifteen percent already practice in justifiable occasions (Groliers Encyc). In support of euthanasia I feel that everyone should have the freedom of choice and the final say over what happens to