Meaning of Euthanasia

History of Euthanasia

Euthanasia dates back to the 5th century and was practiced in Ancient Greece and Rome. Socrates was
prepared to drink Hemlock after his conviction, but Hippocrates was against it. During the 17th and 18th
centuries, Euthanasia became a topic of discussion and Francis Bacon first used it in a medical context.
He also distinguished it into 2 terms: Euthanasia Interior is the preparation of the soul for death, while
Euthanasia Exterior is the death of the body.

Countries where this is allowed

- Netherlands is the first country to legalize euthanasia since 1994.

- Japan only permits passive euthanasia for patients in comas for more than 3 months.
- Switzerland is the only country which permits euthanasia for foreign citizens.
- Since March 2018, passive euthanasia began with the case of Aruna Shanbaug, who spent 42
years in vegetative state.

Euthanasia is legal in Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, Columbia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand,
Spain, and all six Australian states by 2022.

Facts about euthanasia

- Only 9 countries have legalized euthanasia.

- Thalaikoothal is a tradition of forced euthanasia in South India.
- Euthanasia is widely practiced in Canada, with 2614 people euthanized in the 10 months
between 1 January and 31 October 2018, resulting in one person dying every three hours.
- Animal euthanasia is the act of killing an animal humanely, usually with injectable drugs, due to
incurable conditions, lack of resources, or laboratory test procedures.
- Insurance companies in the US refuse to cover chemotherapy for cancer patients, instead
offering covered assisted suicide drugs.
- Supreme Court of India legalized passive euthanasia in 2011.
- In Canada in 2021, 10,029 medically assisted deaths occurred.

Euthanasia: Philosophical, moral and ethical foundation