This choice is often considered in patients who are diagnosed with illnesses that medical interventions will not be able to cure, but rather only prolong one’s life by treating the pain. It is imperative that we legalize euthanasia as a medical practice that allows medical professionals to help grant their patient 's last wishes. There are two types of euthanasia, the first of which is active euthanasia. This is the process in which a person gives their consent to end their life. Medical professionals attending to their patients would provide the patient with either a lethal dose of medicine or a prescription for a lethal amount to do in their own time. The second type of euthanasia is passive euthanasia, or the refusal of life sustaining treatment through a spoken or written living will (Funk & Wagnalls, 2016). This is often seen when people are in a coma or vegetative state and cannot speak on their own behalf. They rely on their living will to speak for them, stating their desire to be removed from the devices keeping them alive when there is little chance for them to return to normal …show more content…
However when we look at the defining terms of murder we can see that there is a vast difference amongst these terms. Murder is a malicious act with intent of killing another person, whereas euthanasia is driven by a person’s compassion, empathy, and desire to help their fellow human to end their life on their own terms rather than force them to go through the debilitating stages of their terminal illness. With murder the victim has no say in what is happening, but this is not the case with euthanasia. The person will have made their desires to end their pain and suffering known to their care giver, and then has asked for the assistance needed to do so. Often times, suicide is also compared to that of euthanasia and people often give the same views to both. Suicide is often sought out by those who are experiencing situational problems or have links to curable or treatable illnesses, such as depression or mental illness. While euthanasia is sought out by those who have a terminal, incurable illness that eventually will result in them dying. Moreover, they want to be able to control how they pass on in the sense that they will be who they truly are, and not who the illness will eventually turn them