Euthanasia is a broad term for mercy killing or also known as taking the life of a terminally ill or injured individual in order to end his or her suffering. Mercy killing has represented a serious ethical dilemma. People do not always die will. Some sicknesses cause people to experience extreme physical pain in their last days, and euthanasia seems like a more compassionate way of ending this pain. Other patients who request euthanasia may be too weak to move, paralyzed, or have a loss of their mental faculties.
The controversy lies in euthanasia because it seems to contradict one of the most basic principles of morality, which is “thou shalt not kill.” Viewed from the traditional Judeo-Christian point of view, euthanasia is murder and a blatant violation of this biblical commandment. From the secular perspective one of the principle purposes of law is to uphold the sanctity of human life. Euthanasia is so controversial because it pits the plight of the suffering, dying individuals against religious beliefs, legal traditions, and in the case of physician-assisted death, medical ethics.
The word Euthanasia is derived from the ancient Greeks, and means “good death.” But while the word may have ancient roots, many observers believe that it is harder today to achieve good death than ever before. Advances in medicine have increased people’s health and life span, but they have also greatly affected the dying process. For example, in the twentieth century the majority of Americans died at home, usually victims of influenza or pneumonia. Today most people will die in a hospital often from a degenerative disease like cancer that may cause a painful lingering death.
This week we will be exploring the topic of Euthanasia in this blog.
