The word “euthanasia” comes from the Greek words eu, meaning “good,” and thanatos, meaning “death,” literally “good death;” however, the word “euthanasia” is much more difficult to define. The American Heritage Dictionary defines euthanasia as “ the action of killing an individual for reasons considered to be merciful” (469.) Here, killing is described as the physical action where one individual actively kills another. Who is to decide whether a death is good or not? Is any form of death good? All of these questions can be answered differently by each person. Today euthanasia is generally taken to mean that act which a health care professional carries out to help his patient achieve a good death. The terms euthanasia and assisted suicide are sometimes used interchangeably, but they differ. In the assisted suicide, a doctor prescribes a lethal dose of medication, making the means of death available but not participating in it. In euthanasia , the doctor himself or herself administers a fatal dose to a patient.There are ethical guidelines for euthanasia. When the following guidelines are met, then euthanasia is considered acceptable. A person must be a mature adult. Secondly the person must have clearly made a well thought-out decision. An individual has the ability now to indicate this with a living will. Also, in today’s more open, and tolerant society people can more, freely discuss the option of euthanasia with health care providers, family, and lawyer’sIn recent years, debate has intensified in the United States over the question of whether terminally ill people should be allowed the legal right to obtain a doctor’s assistance in ending their life. The campaign to legalize assisted suicide, also called the “right to die movement,” has been under way since the 1970’s but has gained stea...
