Who has the right to decide weather someone should continue living or not? The person themselves, the government, or the physician. Whose life is it anyways? In today's world, people are asking that same question about euthanasia and assisted suicide. The definition of euthanasia is the act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition, as by lethal injection or the suspension of extraordinary medial treatment. Should euthanasia be a choice given to an ill person? Although " We do have the right to die", " A Crime of Compassion", in my opinion death should not be substituted for relieving pain and suffering.
The term "euthanasia" means "good health" or "well dying"; it is derived from the Greek "eu" and "thanatos". In its classical sense, it is a descriptive term referring to an easy death as opposed to an agonizing or tormented dying. In Greek literature, euthanasia connoted a " happy death, an ideal and coveted end to a full and pleasant life." The concern to die well is a old as a humanity itself, for the questions surrounding death belong to the essence of being human. Dame Cicely Saunders (Founder of Hospice) states " You matter because you are you. You matter t the last moment of you life, and we will do all we can, not only to help you die peacefully but also to live until you die"
Some feel that a terminally ill patient should have a legal right to control the manner in which they die. Physicians and nurses have fought for the right to aid a patient in their death. Many families of the terminally ill have exhausted all of their funds caring for a dying patient and would prefer the option of assisted suicide to bankruptcy. While there are many strong opposing viewpoints, one of the strongest is that the terminally ill patient has the right in a humane, dignified manner. However, dignity in dying is not necessarily assured when a trusted doctor, whose professional