Euthanasia is defined as "the act of killing an individual for reasons being .
" It is a planned self-deliverance from a painful and .
hopeless disease. Today's society has many different names for it such as: .
suicide, self-deliverance, auto-euthanasia, aid-in-dying, assisted suicide, death .
with dignity, and playing God. I believe that no one or any one else has the .
right to decide when it is time for a person to give up on life. .
The first and most common reason for why someone might end their .
life is that an advanced terminal illness is causing unbearable suffering. .
Another reason is a severe physical handicap causing them to be completely .
dependent on those who care for them. This is rare though. I believe that life .
is precious and is worth fighting for. I am glad that assent-suicide is a crime .
in most places, including here. The word euthanasia comes for a Greek word .
meaning literally "good death." "Disconnecting respiratory devices is not a .
acceptable method of euthanasia. It causes the patient to starve for oxygen .
and gasp for it, but when he/she cannot breathe, the body is starved for .
oxygen and suffocates. This is not merciful by any means, (Euthanasia)." .
There is also another point that has to be looked at which is future .
medical advances. It would reduce pressure on scientists to come up with .
cures and symptomatic treatments for those of us who do want to live, no .
matter the circumstances. It would have to be thought of through a different .
point of view, think about the past. If euthanasia had been legalized 40 years .
ago, there is a good chance that hospice care would not exist. I think that the .
improvement in terminal cared is directly effects how good treatments to .
minimize suffering. "If that suffering had been extinguished by extinguishing .
the patients who bore it, then we may never have known the advances in the .
control of pain, nausea breathlessness, and other terminal symptoms that the .