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Introduction
Euthanasia is the administration of a lethal agent by another person to a patient for
the purpose of relieving the patients intolerable and incurable suffering.
It is understandable, though tragic, that some patients in extreme duress--such as
those suffering from a terminal, painful, debilitating illness--may come to decide that
death is preferable to life. However, permitting physicians to engage in euthanasia would
ultimately cause more harm than good. Euthanasia is fundamentally incompatible with
the physicians role as healer, would be difficult or impossible to control, and would pose
serious societal risks.
The involvement of physicians in euthanasia heightens the significance of its
ethical prohibition. The physician who performs euthanasia assumes unique
responsibility for the act of ending the patients life. Euthanasia could also readily be
extended to incompetent patients and other vulnerable populations.
Instead of engaging in euthanasia, physicians must aggressively respond to the
needs of patients at the end of life. Patients should not be abandoned once it is
determined that cure is impossible. Patients near the end of life must continue to receive
emotional support, comfort care, adequate pain control, respect for patient autonomy, and
good communication.

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History
According to the historian N. D. A. Kemp, the origin of the contemporary debate
on euthanasia started in 1870. Nevertheless, euthanasia was debated and practiced long
before that date. Euthanasia was practiced in Ancient Greece and Rome: for
example, hemlock was employed as a means of hastening death on the island of Kea, a
technique also employed in Marseilles and by Socrates in Athens. Euthanasia, in the
sense of the deliberate hastening of a person's death, was supported by
Socrates, Plato and Seneca the Elder in the ancient world, although Hippocrates appears
to have spoken against the practice, writing "I will not prescribe a deadly drug to please
someone, nor give advice that may cause his death" (noting there is some debate in the
literature about whether or not this was intended to encompass euthanasia).
Euthanasia was strongly opposed in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Thomas
Aquinas opposed both and argued that the practice of euthanasia contradicted our natural
human instincts of survival, as did Francois Ranchin (15651641), a French physician
and professor of medicine, and Michael Boudewijns (16011681), a physician and
teacher. Nevertheless, there were voices arguing for euthanasia, such as John Donne in
1624, and euthanasia continued to be practised. Thus in 1678, the publication of Caspar
Questel's De pulvinarimorientibus non subtrahend, ("On the pillow of which the dying
should not be deprived"), initiated debate on the topic. Questel described various customs
which were employed at the time to hasten the death of the dying, , and argued against
their use, as doing so was "against the laws of God and Nature".This view was shared by

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many who followed, including Philipp JakobSpener, VeitRiedlin and Johann Georg
Krnitz. Despite opposition, euthanasia continued to be practiced, involving techniques
such as bleeding, suffocation and removing people from their beds to be placed on the
cold ground.
Suicide and euthanasia were more acceptable under Protestantism and during
the Age of Enlightenment, and Thomas More wrote of euthanasia in Utopia, although it
is not clear if More was intending to endorse the practice. Other cultures have taken
different approaches: for example, in Japan suicide has not traditionally been viewed as a
sin, and accordingly the perceptions of euthanasia are different from those in other parts
of the world.

What is Euthanasia?
Euthanasia derives from Greek words eu and thanatos. Eu means good and well
and thanatos means death. Euthanasia is defended and justified that suffering patient get
merciful death and termination of life by a doctor at the request of a patient.
On passive euthanasia at the request of a patient, the medical treatment will be
finished, all treatments that should keep the patient alive. On active euthanasia at the
request of patient all treatments will be finished, when has stated that not exist any
treatments that could cure the patient. On active euthanasia is used lethal substances such

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as lethal injections. Assisted killings or death and medical treatment in aid of an easy
death are concepts of euthanasia.
On assisted killings or death, fatally ill patient at his own request gives to another
person commit suicide on the behalf of the patient. On assisted killings or death can put
down a life of the patient who is on the coma, although he can't anymore express his own
will.
On medical treatment in aid of an easy death fatally ill patient wants to make
suicide, but can't do it physically; therefore, someone else helps him and kills him.

Active and passive Euthanasia

Euthanasia is of two types: active and passive. Active euthanasia entails the use of lethal
substances or forces to kill a person such as with lethal injection given to a person with
terminal cancer who is in terrible agony. Passive euthanasia entails withholding of
medical treatment for continuance of life, such as withholding of antibiotics where
without giving it a patient is likely to die, or removing the heart lung machine, from a
patient in coma.
The general legal position all over the world seems to be that while active euthanasia is
illegal unless there is legislation permitting it, passive euthanasia is legal even without
legislation provided certain conditions and safeguards are maintained.

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Voluntary and non-voluntary euthanasia

A further categorization of euthanasia is between voluntary euthanasia and non voluntary
euthanasia. Voluntary euthanasia is where the consent is taken from the patient, whereas
non voluntary euthanasia is where the consent is unavailable eg when the patient is in
coma, or is otherwise unable to give consent.
While there is no legal difficulty in the case of the former, the latter poses several
problems.
Active euthanasia is a crime all over the world except where permitted by legislation. In
India active euthanasia is illegal and a crime under section 302 or at least section 304
IPC. Physician assisted suicide is a crime under section 306 IPC (abetment to suicide).
Active euthanasia is taking specific steps to cause the patient's death, such as injecting the
patient with some lethal substance, e.g. sodium pentothal which causes a person deep
sleep in a few seconds, and the person instantaneously and painlessly dies in this deep
sleep.

Euthanasia and physician assisted dying

A distinction is sometimes drawn between euthanasia and physician assisted dying, the
difference being in who administers the lethal medication. In euthanasia, a physician or
third party administers it, while in physician assisted suicide it is the patient himself who

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does it, though on the advice of the doctor. In many countries/States the latter is legal
while the former is not.
The difference between "active" and "passive" euthanasia is that in active euthanasia,
something is done to end the patient's life' while in passive euthanasia, something is not
done that would have preserved the patient's life.
An important idea behind this distinction is that in "passive euthanasia" the doctors are
not actively killing anyone; they are simply not saving him.
While we usually applaud someone who saves another person's life, we do not normally
condemn someone for failing to do so. Thus, proponents of euthanasia say that while we
can debate whether active euthanasia should be legal, there can be no debate about
passive euthanasia: You cannot prosecute someone for failing to save a life.

Reasons for Euthanasia

Everyone has a right to decide when their life should end.If the quality of life has
become so bad, a person may feel too much physical or emotional pain.Todays hospitals
are overcrowded and have too many patients. Some argue that they should let those die
that do not have a chance of living on. In that way there could be more room for patients
with diseases that can be cured.

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Doctors have a problem with euthanasia because they have sworn an oath that
does not allow them to take part in the killing of people. Sometimes it is not clear if an ill
person really wants to die. Euthanasia should only take place if someone really wants it
or if they understand how will they are.

Conclusion

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Euthanasia, in its many forms, is an inherent right that should not be infringed
upon through its not being legalized. Euthanasia refers to choosing a dignified death,
rather than one set for the individual, and in a slow and painful manner at that. When
palliative care is no longer an option and treatment has failed time and again, the option
to choose "the good death" should remain open at all times. Despite slight possibilities in
a lack of responsible actions taken in the name of euthanasia, the act itself will always be
a personal choice, based on the amount of suffering one will allow oneself to go through
before one must give in. Euthanasia will always be in existence, now it is merely a choice
of making it "acceptable" or "unacceptable" as far as the government is concerned. After
all, whose life is it?

Work Cited

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http://www.euthanasia.com/mercy.html
http://www.kotipetripaavola.com/euthanasia.html
http://www.english-online.at/society/euthanasia/pros-and-cons-of-euthanasia.htm
http://www.lawteacher.net/medical-law/essays/three-types-of-euthanasia-voluntaryeuthanasia-non-voluntary-involuntary-euthanasia-law-medical-essay.php
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/active-euthanasia-versus-passive-euthanasia/145218-3.html
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/medical-ethics/code-medicalethics/opinion221.page?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euthanasia