Euthanasia was derived from the Greek words eu meaning goodly or well and

thanatos meaning death, thus good death. According to Amado S. Tolentino Jr.
in his entry Is There a Right to Die? A Study of the Law of Euthanasia in the
Philippine Law Journal in 1974, Euthanasia first appeared in the English language in
the early seventeenth century in its original meaning - a gentle, easy death.
Currently, the popular meaning of the term is the painless death by "releasing" the
patient from severe physical suffering.
Modern medical technology paved the way for artificial prolongation of human life
beyond the natural capacity of man. Such process of prolongation on persons with
terminal condition can either be beneficial or detrimental to both the patient and his
or her family. In line with this, numerous arguments have arisen as to whether
suffering brought about by illness can be rightfully relieved through euthanasia,
which will involve deliberately ending ones life under the premise of good
intentions.
The right to life enclosed in Article III, sec. 1 of the 1987 Philippine constitution
which asserts an individuals right to not be deprived of life without due process of
the law vaguely generalizes approaches to promote life. Hence, it is confounded by
the interplay of the right of a competent and terminally ill person to exercise his or
her autonomy and choose to avoid excruciating pain and die a dignified death.
From these conflicting doctrines spring the disputes surrounding mercy killing. The
first recognition of this in the history of the Congress of the Philippines is the
proposal Senate Bill No. 1887 or the Natural Death Act filed by the late Senator
Miriam Defensor-Santiago which seeks to recognize the fundamental right of adult
persons to decide their own health care, including the decision to have lifesustaining treatment withheld or withdrawn in instances of a terminal condition or
permanent unconscious condition. However, it was not enacted.
The complex life-and-death problems raised by the scientific advances in the field of
medicine have no simple answers. It requires rigorous study and expert advice via a
multidisciplinary approach involving both the medical, ethical and legal field to
arrive at an approach in this culture-of-life vs. emerging end-of-life policy.