Euthanasia in America

Lately in America there have been a lot of discussion and debate on the topic of euthanasia and rather if its right or wrong. "Euthanasia is defined as the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy" (Merriam-Webster). "Euthanasia comes from the Greek word's eu and thanatos and means happy death or good death" (Moreland). Euthanasia is also known as physician assisted suicide and no one is better known for the practice of physician assisted suicide than Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Dr. Kevorkian was charged with murder six times and was convicted only once. Dr. Kevorkian and many others believe that a patient who is terminally ill should have the right to take their own life if they are competent enough, and if they are unable to move and can't actually "pull the switch" themselves then the physician should be able to do it. "During 1991, one of the top-selling books in America was Final Exit written by Daniel Humphry. Humphry, co-founder of the National Hemlock Society (a right-to-die group) wrote the book to advocate the moral appropriateness of suicide and active euthanasia and to instruct people in the practical how to's of taking their own lives. Based on the book's sales, there is a growing hunger for this type of information" (Moreland). people who are against euthanasia believe that the practice is immoral and inhumane. Some fear that euthanasia will create emotional and

Psychological factors which can be overpowering for people who are dependent

or depressed thus bringing the question how do you determine if a patient is competent or incompetent? Others believe that euthanasia, if it becomes widespread, could become a tool for making money for large HMOs.

Personally I don't believe in suicide, but I also don't believe in suffering for no reason. I would hate to be put in a position where I had to decide to kill myself and be at peace, or live, and suffer. I probably would want to be at peace. I believe that euthanasia is as a useful practice, just as abortion is. Euthanasia is only practiced on terminally ill patients who have a high enough competence level to make decisions regarding their own life. If they choose to practice euthanasia, the procedure is fast and it doesn't hurt. People who oppose euthanasia often pull the religion