The Issue Of Assisted Suicide - 2033 Words

Active Euthanasia Science Section At the basic level, suicide is the act intentionally and voluntarily killing one self. The word suicide is composed of two Latin words, sui meaning â€Å"self† and caedere meaning â€Å"to kill.† Though the definition and act of suicide may appear to be quite simple, the circumstances, the causes, and the aftermath make the subject matter much more complicated than it is (Stewart, 1998). Though everyone’s situation may be different, those who commit suicide tend to have an overwhelming feeling of hopeless, helplessness, and emotional pain, and therefore see suicide as an escape (Stewart, 1998). Assisted suicide occurs when someone allows suicide to occur or provides the necessary means to end a person’s life.†¦show more content†¦Active euthanasia â€Å"is the effort of a person to cause his or her own death†¦ In all three forms of active euthanasia – suicide, assisted suicide, and mercy killing – the medical cause of death is not disease or injury but the fatal action taken† (Stewart, 1998). Active euthanasia kills someone while passive euthanasia allows the individual to die (McMahan, 2002). Mercy killings can also be broken down into three different categories: voluntary, nonvoluntary, and involuntary. Non-voluntary euthanasia refers to someone killing a patient without knowing the patient’s wishes. Involuntary euthanasia involves doctors going against the patient’s will while voluntary euthanasia occurs when a patient autonomously requests to be killed (Stewart, 1998). The difference between voluntary active euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide is the means by which termination occurs. In voluntary active euthanasia, the doctor is the one who terminates the patient’s life. In physician-assisted suicide, the doctor assists the patient in committing suicide by either supplying a lethal pill or injection (Keown, 2002). Doctors used to have the obligation to comfort, heal, and revive patients when possible. Medical knowledge in the mid-nineteenth century began a new concept in the medical field, which lessened the doctor’s obligation to hea l and allow for nature to take its own course (Urofsky, 2000). Through the rapid