The word `euthanasia' is a combination of the ancient Greek words `eu' and `thanatos', meaning `a good death' or `the bringing about of a gentle and easy death'. Nowadays, the meaning of this word stands for mercy killing. In total, there are six different ways in which euthanasia can occur: Active euthanasia, which is the active intervention by a doctor to terminate a patient's life; Passive ethanasia, the deliberate withholding of the patient's medical treatment with the intention to terminate life; Voluntary euthanasia, on request of the terminally ill patient, asking to recieve medical treatment in order to die; Involuntary euthanasia, ending an able patient's life against their will, or just plain murder; Non-voluntary euthanasia, ending the life of a patient that is incapable of giving permission; and Physician-assisted suicide, almost the same as voluntary euthanasia, but instead the doctor only prescribes the lethal drug rather than giving it to the patient. .
Today, the support for legalising voluntary euthanasia increases with every year. And according to statistics, this sort of euthanasia is supported by the majority of people all over the world. Only a small minotity argues against this issue due to religious beliefs and moral or ethical disagreements. A current case arguing in favour of voluntary euthansia is the case of Diane Pretty, who suffers from the incurable motor neurone disease. She bids for an assisted suicide executed by her husband and has passed the first stage of the legal battle arguing in her favour. Now, her case has to be presented to the Director of Public Prosecusions, in order to prevent her husband from being prosecuted if he should assist her to terminate her life. Mary Warnock commented on this issue in `The Observer' of Sunday, September second. She was clearly able to distinguish between the moral and judicial aspects of euthanasia, giving her arguments in favour of Diane Pretty's case very much reason.