The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of euthanasia, which derives from the Greek for "easy death," is "the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals … in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy." This present-day definition differs from that of the classical Greeks, who considered euthanasia simply &#…
Different religions and cultures have viewed suicide in different ways. Ancient Romans who dishonored themselves or their families were expected to commit suicide in order to maintain their dignity and, frequently, the family property. Early Christians were quick to embrace martyrdom as a guarantee of eternal salvation, but during the fourth century St. Augustine discouraged the practice. He and l…
The American Constitution does not guarantee the right to choose to die. The U.S. Supreme Court, however, recognized as of 2005 that Americans have a fundamental right to privacy, or what is sometimes called the "right to be left alone." While the right to TABLE 6.6 Percentage of high school students who felt sad or hopeless, who seriously considered attempting suicide, and who made …
On July 21, 2003, the Hemlock Society officially became End-of-Life Choices. The organization advocates for legislation to allow Americans to live with the freedom of choosing a dignified death, and also informs and educates the public about the right to die. End-Of-Life Choices was founded as the Hemlock Society in 1980 by Derek Humphry, a journalist from England. In 1975 Humphry helped his wife …
In general, physician-assisted suicide is seen as being at odds with the work of doctors and nurses. In 2001 the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine (ACP-ASIM) released its position on physician-assisted suicide in "Physician-Assisted Suicide" (Annals of Internal Medicine, vol. 135, no. 3, August 7, 2001). The organization stated that it does not supp…
In early 2006 Oregon was the only state with a law allowing physician-assisted suicide and then only in limited circumstances. Attempts to allow assisted suicide have been defeated in California, Washington, Michigan, Maine, and Wyoming. In addition, an assisted suicide proposal was shelved in the Hawaii legislature. In 2004 thirty-five states had explicit laws against assisted suicide. Nine stat…
Euthanasia became legal in the Netherlands on April 10, 2001. Prior to that date, active euthanasia was a criminal offense under Article 293 of the Dutch Penal Code, which read, "He who takes the life of another person on this person's explicit and serious request will be punished with imprisonment of up to twelve years or a fine of the fifth category." At the same time, howev…
Please include a link to this page if you have found this material useful for research or writing a related article. Content on this website is from high-quality, licensed material originally published in print form. You can always be sure you're reading unbiased, factual, and accurate information.
Highlight the text below, right-click, and select “copy”. Paste the link into your website, email, or any other HTML document.
User Comments Add a comment…