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→The issue
==The issue==
Euthanasia is when those suffering from a painful disease wish to die, generally from the assistance of a doctor. Thus, sometimes it is called assisted suicide. Likewise when a doctor removes treatment, for the purpose of death this too falls under the definition of euthanasia.
Very often in recent this has been called dying with dignity. For example, an individual who has suffered immensely and who knows there is little or no possibility of recovery may wish to die. For the medical community, this issue brings up tough ethical problems. Does a person have the right to choose death as an option? Euthanasia also raises the idea of whether or not a doctor should participate in such a practice. These are very difficult issues to face, but ones that must be confronted when dealing with euthanasia.
A person must first realize that euthanasia is a subject that is not easily defined. The origin of the word euthanasia derives from two ancient Greek terms meaning good death. The following shows us that there are three categories to which euthanasia can be classified. “(1) by an affirmative act designed to bring about death, such as the injection of air into a person’s veins; (2) by refusing to commence or continue further medical treatment required to maintain life; (3) by refusing to commence or continue further, ‘heroic’ or ‘extraordinary’ measures, such as the use of a heart-lung machine following a massive stroke.” These definitions can in term be label further as being either euthanasia by action or euthanasia by omission. Euthanasia is not a black and white issue and the ethical concerns are even more complicated. As euthanasia has become a more apparent concern the medical community has had to adjust its understanding.
