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Is Euthanasia Ethically Wrong

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The term euthanasia is derived from the Greek words “eu” and “thanatos” which translate to “good death”. Euthanasia is also known as “mercy killing”. Ancient societies allowed the death of many babies who were born with birth defects. Also, elder people would starve themselves to death. In the military, soldiers were allowed to shoot a partner if he or she were seriously injured. In the nineteenth century, the use of anesthetics and painkillers made euthanasia less painful because before that, people would commit suicide using violent and uncertain methods. Euthanasia has been practiced for centuries, however, it became more of an issue throughout the twentieth century. Euthanasia is a controversial topic because some people believe that causing the death of another person is not ethical, but others think that euthanasia is a way to help relieve people from suffering. First of all, euthanasia is seen as the practice of intentionally ending a person’s life who is suffering from an incurable disease. Euthanasia can be classified into one of two groups: voluntary and involuntary. The …show more content…

“Support for physician euthanasia in the U.S. increased 37 percent in 1947 to 53 percent in the early 1970s and leveled off around 1990, with two-thirds of people in the U.S. supporting the practice” (Reuters). There are other parts of the world where the legalization of euthanasia is increasing. To give one example, in Western Europe the support of euthanasia is increasing dramatically. Also, in Western Europe, euthanasia is mainly used in cases involving people who are diagnosed with cancer and older people. On the other hand, in California, where euthanasia is legal, the patients must have a terminal illness in which they are expected to die within six months. This is the reason why physicians that prescribe medications to hasten death, cannot be

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