Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary: Tenth Edition defines euthanasia as "the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals . in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy." However, most people breakdown euthanasia into three different distinctions: passive euthanasia, active euthanasia, and assisted suicide. An example of passive euthanasia would be the removal of a respirator, while active euthanasia would be a doctor giving a dying patient a lethal injection. Assisted suicide is similar to active euthanasia but the difference is that in assisted suicide, the patient alone performs the final death-inducing act. An example would be the patient taking a lethal dose of pills.
My position is that euthanasia is considered death with dignity rather than murder. I feel that euthanasia is morally justifiable and should be legalized. By law, refusal or withdrawal of treatment, even if lifesaving, is morally and legally permitted ("Euthanasia." Bioethics 1: 31). This means that passive euthanasia is considered legal. The landmark decision that brought this issue to the forefront was the case of Karen Ann Quinlan. Quinlan's parents asked that the respirator keeping Karen alive be removed and the NJ Supreme Court agreed in 1976. This case was the first that approved passive euthanasia as legal. Although passive euthanasia is permitted, assisted suicide and active euthanasia are still illegal. However, public opinion has recently been changing towards favoring the legalization of all forms of euthanasia. One reason for this change in opinion was the acts of retired pathologist Jack Kevorkian. Between 1990 and 1994, he performed 21 assisted suicides on chronic or terminally ill patients. Many say his acts are extreme and immoral, but there a lot of people who support what he advocates and that is the "right to die." In a 1993 national public opinion poll, 73% of Americans supported physician-assisted suicide and similar support has been found in recent years ("Introduction.
