Euthanasia And Assisted Suicide Research

Euthanasia or assisted suicide has always been a controversial topic for social policy. Although the terms are used interchangeably, they are different by definition and are treated differently by law. Some define euthanasia as a process to end a life, sometimes involving the participation of medical personnel, while assisted suicide requires active participation and consent from the patient. Although the end results are the same, there are different dynamics to this controversial process.
There are two main classifications of euthanasia, voluntary and involuntary. Voluntary is conducted with consent and is legal in Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Oregon, and Washington (Mishara,Weisstub, 2013). Those that support voluntary
Death and Dignity Act was adopted by Oregon in 1997. This law allows residents of Oregon who are terminally ill end their lives through self-administered lethal medication prescribed by a physician for that purpose. This medical act varies from state to state and today there are five states that has legalized Euthanasia. As of June 2016, human euthanasia is legal in the Netherlands, Belgium, Colombia, and Luxembourg. Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Canada, and in the US states of Washington, Oregon, Vermont, Montana, and California.
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Mishara, B. L., Mishara, B. L., & Weisstub, D. N. (09/01/2013). International journal of law and psychiatry: Premises and evidence in the rhetoric of assisted suicide and euthanasia Elsevier. doi:10.1016/j.ijlp.2013.09.003
Suarez-Almazor, M. E., Newman, C., Hanson, J., & Bruera, E. (2002). Attitudes of terminally ill cancer patients about euthanasia and assisted suicide: predominance of psychosocial determinants and beliefs over symptom distress and subsequent survival. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 20(8), 2134-2141.