Euthanasia and assisted suicide are among the most controversial issues of the world today. Long debates are raised on these two issues and their legalization and moral acceptance. Some countries, especially in the west, are moving for the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide. However, other countries like Egypt, where religion has a big influence on law passing, it is still firmly unaccepted.
Assisted suicide is defined as the patient requesting from the physician a prescription of a medication that would help terminating his life. On the other hand, euthanasia is the act of the physician ending the life of terminally ill patients in which no hope is left on their case. Most times euthanasia patients are incapable of deciding for themselves on whether or not to end their life. The approval of the family members is then required to perform euthanasia. .
Many arguments have been raised against euthanasia. Among the most popular of them is that euthanasia suggests not caring for the ill and the unwillingness to take care of them. Some people believe that they should try until the end and never give up on the patient. On the other hand, some people think that it is inconsiderable to let the patient suffer more when the case has been proven to be hopeless.
Arguments against assisted suicide have been even stronger. Many people argue that physicians should be helping people stay alive and not the opposite. Some also believe that if anyone decides for himself the time of death, it is suicide anyways and should not be accepted as a normal behavior.
Nevertheless, this has not stopped many western countries like the United States and the Netherlands from taking large steps forward in the legalization process of euthanasia and assisted suicide. Netherlands has become officially the first country in the world to legalize euthanasia in the beginning of 2002. And with this, it opens the door for many other countries to start considering this issue.
