Euthanasia, as defined by the
Netherlands State Commission on Euthanasia, is "the intentional
termination of life by another at the
explicit request of the person who dies" . Although this implies that euthanasia is always explicitly requested by the dying
individual, in reality the term is used in a variety of ways, with varying degrees of patient
involvement. The wide
scope of the term is perhaps one of the reasons why the public is unable to come to a
consensus on the issue. Here are four very
different types of euthanasia: (1)
passive euthanasia, (2)
active euthanasia, (3)
physician assisted suicide, and (4)
involuntary euthanasia.
Euthanasia is probably almost as old as humanity itself. Voluntary euthanasia can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. Both of these societies accepted voluntary euthanasia. With the advent of Christianity and the other major modern religions between two thousand and one thousand years ago, religion came to play a greater role in government and everyday life. The newer religions preached about the sanctity of human life, and euthanasia was condemned as wrong . Euthanasia was seen as sinful throughout the civilized world, but it was still practiced quietly. This century has marked the return of the issue of euthanasia to the public consciousness. In 1935, The Voluntary Euthanasia Society was founded in London. This group of doctors was the first organization that supported the legalization of voluntary euthanasia. The next year, the House of Lords rejected a bill that would have legalized voluntary euthanasia in the United Kingdom. Also in 1936, King George V of England was secretly and voluntarily euthanized by his physician Lord Dawson. The suffering king requested and received a lethal injection of morphine and cocaine. The public was told that he had succumbed to his illness and the truth was buried for fifty years. The first American euthanasia society was the Hemlock Society. Today the group has 67,000 members and still seeks to change America’s euthanasia laws. It also offers support for those who are dying and wish to be euthanized. Euthanasia was legalized in the Netherlands in late 2000.
Related nodes:
Jack Kevorkian
Opinions on Euthanasia
mercy killing
Aktion T4