Death is a highly emotional topic that affects all of us.
this the issue of euthanasia is a highly complex one with many different .
sides (medical, legal, political, individual and practical). There are also .
religious and academic considerations. Many people do not realize the .
exact meaning of euthanasia .In fact the true meaning of euthanasia [Hentoff,Keyes. "Euthanasia and assisted suicide"(2 July 2001). http://www.euthanasia.com] is the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependant human being for his or her alleged benefit. There are mainly two types of euthanasia voluntary and involuntary. Voluntary euthanasia occurs when the person who is killed gives consent to be killed. While involuntary euthanasia occurs when the person who is killed is incapable of giving consent or does not give consent. It is also important to realize the brief history of euthanasia all over the world. There are only two jurisdictions in the world today where laws specifically permit euthanasia. These are Oregon and the Netherlands. However in some countries over the past few years there were attempts to legalize euthanasia but it all failed. An example of these attempts occurred in Australia. In 1995 Australia's northern territory approved a euthanasia bill, it went into effect in 1996 but was overturned by the Australian parliament in 1997.Therfore should voluntary euthanasia be legalized or not? .
First of all let us examine the reasons that make many people believe in legalizing voluntary euthanasia. As a start pro-euthanasia campaigners argue that voluntary euthanasia is purely a matter of personal freedom. Which in turn leads to the issue of autonomy (Dworkin, Frey, and John Bok. Euthanasia and assisted suicide. Newyork: Penguin,1999). Since autonomy is a key principle in any civilized society and choosing to die is a choice central to this personal dignity and autonomy. Therefore refusing to help someone to die is not immoral not only because of there autonomy, but also due to the fact that it is not reasonable that a terminal ill, mentally competent patient who is in constant unbelievable pain with no quality of life is not allowed to die if he or she wishes.
