Euthanasia

Introduction

Euthanasia continues to be a subject of ethical debate. It is defined as the administration of lethal drugs by someone other than the person concerned with the explicit intention of ending a patient’s life, at the latter’s explicit request (Quaghebeur, de Casterle, & Gastmans, 2009).

An unprecedented number of people in the United States today live well into their late adult years. Improved medical and public health practices, increasing life expectancies, and the “graying” of the baby boom generation have all contributed to this phenomenon (Moulton, Hill, & Burdette, 2006). Euthanasia has been and always will be a topic of debate in the United States because Americans are living longer. Oregon, Washington, and Montana are the only three states who have legalized assisted suicide in the United States. The opinion of people is not only based on morals but religious beliefs are also being taken into consideration. Religion, faith, belief, and more generally, ideology and world view, entail more than just participation in rituals or the acceptance of certain doctrines. As religion and world view are expected to have repercussions on every aspect of life, it can be assumed that religious and ideological convictions will influence the professional attitudes and practices of medical professionals (Gielen, van den Branden, & Broeckaert, 2009).

Euthanasia has become more of a social concern. Euthanasia is being compared with birth control and abortion. Euthanasia is an attempt to control death while birth control and abortion are attempts to control birth. With advances in life-sustaining technologies and continuous increase in medical costs, euthanasia, or the right to end one’s life, when all hope of recove...

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