Free Argumentative Essays: The Ethics of Euthanasia :: Free Euthanasia Essay

The Ethics of euthanasia euthanasia, also mercy killing, practice of ending a life so as to release an individual from an incurable disease or unacceptable suffering. The term is manytimes used gener onlyy to refer to an easy or painless death. Voluntary euthanasia involves a request by the destruction patient or that persons legal representative. Passive or negative euthanasia involves not doing something to go a colossal death-that is, allowing someone to die active or commanding euthanasia involves taking deliberate action to cause a death. Euthanasia has been accepted both legally and morally in various forms in many societies. In ancient Greece and Rome it was permissible in some situations to help others die. With the rise of organized religion, euthanasia became morally and ethically abhorrent. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all hold human life sacred and condemn euthanasia in any form. Following traditional religious principles, Western laws puddle sla ckly considered the act of helping someone to die a form of homicide showcase to legal sanctions. Even a passive withholding of help to prevent death has frequently been severely punished. Euthanasia, however, occurs secretly in all societies, including those in which it is held to be immoral and illegal. Organizations supporting the legalization of voluntary euthanasia were effected in Great Britain in 1935 and in the United States in 1938. They have gained some public support, but so far they have been unable(p) to achieve their goal in either nation. In the last fewer decades, Western laws against passive and voluntary euthanasia have slowly been eased, although adept moral and legal questions still exist. Critics point to the so-called euthanasia committees in Nazi Germany that were empowered to condemn and execute anyone found to be a burden to the state. This instance of abuse of the power of life and death has long served as a warning to some against allowing th e practice of euthanasia. The pro-euthanasia, or adjust to die, movement has received considerable encouragement by the passage of laws in 40 states by 1990, which allow legally competent individuals to make spiritedness wills. These wills empower and instruct doctors to withhold life-support systems if the individuals become terminally ill. The medical exam profession has generally been caught in the middle of