Euthanasia and the Right to Die Essay -- Doctor Assisted Suicide

The Oxford English Dictionary defines euthanasia as â€Å"the action of inducing a gentle and easy death† (Oxford English Dictionary). Many people around the world would like nothing more than to end their lives because they are suffering from painful and lethal diseases; suffering people desperately seek doctors to help them end their lives. Many people see euthanasia as murder, so euthanasia is illegal in many countries. Euthanasia is an extremely controversial issue that has many complex factors behind it including medical costs, murder and liberty rights. Should people have the rights to seek euthanasia from doctors who are well trained in dealing with euthanasia? The bases for western knowledge, the Greek and Roman empires, usually supported euthanasia. Although they did not like giving â€Å"’a deadly drug to anybody, not even if asked for,’† by the patient, they preferred a gentle death as opposed to their patients suffering a miserable life (ProCon). It was not until the middle ages that euthanasia was actively opposed. In the middle ages the predominate religions of Europe were Christian and Judaism; these two religions did not approve of euthanasia because not only was suicide itself a sin, but the doctor who helped the patients would have committed the sin of murder. The three major religions that influence the world, Christianity, Islam and Judaism, all see suicide as a sin. These three religions have a major impact on the world today, so the trend of criminalizing euthanasia continued up into the modern era with euthanasia still being illegal in many parts of the world. The first law explicitly prohibiting euthanasia in the United States was enacted in New York in 1828 (ProCon). Since then many more states have outlawed ... ...2011. . Opposing Viewpoints."Introduction to Euthanasia: Opposing Viewpoints." Euthanasia. Ed. Carrie Snyder. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2000. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 18 Nov. 2011. http://ic.galegroup.com.library.collin.edu/ic/ovic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Reference&disableHighlighting=false&prodId=OVIC&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010134107&userGroupName=txshracd2497&jsid=af2eacb374dfea6a89c0773d16c35a50 Oxford English Dictionary. "Euthanasia." Def. 3. Oxford English Dictionary. Sept. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. . ProCon. "Historical Timeline." Euthanasia - ProCon.org. ProCon.org, 28 Sept. 2010. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. .