Euthanasia And Physician Assisted Suicide

Death is universal and everyone will face it. We don’t like to think about it, but we often do. Each individual hopes that they will die a painless and peaceful death in their sleep. However, this is not true for many unfortunate people. Certain diseases, such as aids, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and incurable tumors, as well as accidents that cause brain death or paralysis, often leaves us with unbearable physical pain or depression to the point that many would rather die than live a life of such agony. Often, people seek the aid of physicians to end their lives. The use of Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide is sometimes sought by these individuals. These requests place a very large ethical and moral burden on the individual’s physician. The physician, and in some cases the nursing staff, …show more content…
Euthanasia (derived from two Greek roots meaning “good death”) is ending the life of someone who is suffering who is incurably or terminally ill, based solely on the wishes of the person affected. There are three different types of euthanasia known as voluntary, non-voluntary, and involuntary. Voluntary euthanasia usually involves incurably ill patients who are determined to die in order to end their suffering. The course of action that follows is described as either passive or active euthanasia. Passive euthanasia means letting someone die by withholding potentially life-prolonging medical care or by ending medical intervention such as a feeding tube that is keeping that person alive. Active euthanasia means doing something to end that person’s life, such as giving a lethal injection. Non- Voluntary euthanasia occurs when someone other than the patient has to make the decision about whether he or she should die. Finally, involuntary euthanasia is when a person wants to live but his or her life is taken