EUTHANASIA

DEFINITION

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the definition for euthanasia is "the act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition, as by lethal injection or the suspension of extraordinary medical treatment." Not everybody agrees with this definition. I deeply believe that euthanasia should be a personal choice and not another person’s alternative to end one’s life, if one is suffering from excruciating pain due to an incurable disease. Some authorities believe euthanasia should not be an option regardless of the situation. While others doubt the actions that are being taking by physicians are valid. Still, many believe that euthanasia should be considered an option as long as it benefits the sufferer. 

                                                                                                  

CLASSIFICATION OF EUTHANASIA

1. PASSIVE AND ACTIVE EUTHANASIA

passive euthanasia is defined as withdrawing medical treatment with the deliberate intention of causing the patient's death. For example, if a patient requires kidney dialysis to survive, and the doctors disconnect the dialysis machine, the patient will presumably die fairly soon. Perhaps the classic example of passive euthanasia is a "do not resuscitate order". Normally if a patient has a heart attack or similar sudden interruption in life functions, medical staff will attempt to revive them. If they make no such effort but simply stand and watch as the patient dies, this is passive euthanasia.

                            

active euthanasia istaking specific steps to cause the patient's death, such as injecting the patient with poison. In practice, this is usually an overdose of pain-killers or sleeping pills.
                       

difference between "active" and "passive" is that in active euthanasia, something is done to end the patient's life; in passive euthanasia, something is not done that would have preserved the patient's life.

2.VOLUNTARY & INVOLUNTARY EUTHANASIA

Voluntary euthanasia is when the patient requests that action be taken to end his life, or that life-saving treatment be stopped, with full knowledge that this will lead to his death.

 Five Individually Necessary Conditions for Candidacy for Voluntary Euthanasia

1. is suffering from a terminal illness;
2. is unlikely to benefit from the discovery of a cure for that illness during what remains of her life expectancy;
3. is, as a direct result of the illness, either suffering intolerable pain, or only has available a life that is unacceptably burdensome (because the illness has to be treated in ways that lead to her being unacceptably dependent on others or on technological means of life support);
4. has an enduring, voluntary and competent wish to die (or has, prior to losing the competence to do so, expressed a wish to die in the event that conditions (a)-(c) are satisfied); and
5. is unable without assistance to commit suicide,

Involuntary euthanasia is s when a patient's life is ended without the patient's knowledge and consent. This may mean that the patient is kicking and screaming and begging for life, but in practice today it usually means that the patient is unconscious, unable to communicate, or is too sick and weak to be aware of what is happening or to take any action on his own behalf.

  In voluntary passive euthanasia, a person decides for himself that medical treatment that he is receiving is making his life more unpleasant than the disease, and that he would rather end the treatment and go home. Presumably he concludes that a shorter but more comfortable life is preferable. Or perhaps he is simply tired of fighting, and wants to just give up and die.
In involuntary active euthanasia, one person decides that another person's life is no longer worth living or no longer of value, and has him killed.

PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF EUTHANASIA 

 Euthanasia can sometimes be seen as a way out for terminally ill patients, obviously. Euthanasia is usually requested by the patient because they are in too much pain, or because the medical bills would be so high that their family cannot support them. Some psychological effects of euthanasia, would obviously be grief, as with every death that occurs. But, a sense of guilt could also be felt as you helped kill a loved one.