Euthanasia is one of the most controversial topics in our society today. It has sparked heated debates between families, doctors, and the courts about the morality of “mercy killing”. Euthanasia deals with taking a person’s life away from one who wishes to be put to death rather than continuing to live through the pain and agony of a chronic illness. There are two types of euthanasia, active and passive. Active euthanasia is loosely defined as the deliberate action to end the life of a dying patient to avoid further suffering. An example of this would be a lethal injection administered by the doctor at the patient’s request to end their life. Passive euthanasia is defined as the deliberate disconnection of life support equipment, or cessation of any life-sustaining medical procedure, permitting the natural death of the patient. Along with these two terms is one called physician-assisted suicide. This is a way in which a doctor provides the means, such as drugs or other agents, by which a person can take their own life.Dr. Jack Kavorkian, also known as “Dr. Death”, brought euthanasia to the attention of the public. He has assisted many, what he called, “subjects” of his, to end their lives and alleviate all suffering. In a controversial televised broadcast on 60 Minutes, America watched as Kavorkian injected potassium chloride into the arm of Tom Youk, ending his life. This was enough to prosecute Kavorkian of murder when other juries were unable to come to a verdict.Is this indeed murder? Tom Youk suffered from Lou Gehrig’s disease and wanted no longer to continue his battle. Youk had the right to die and sought Kavorkian for assistance. There was a possibility that had Youk not requested the aid of Kavorkian, he would have taken the matter into his own hands and committed suicide. There are other American’s who are patients themselves, or are families of patie...
