Running Head: INTENT AND IMPACT OF PUBLICITY-ORIENTED LEGAL CHALLENGES TO PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE.

Intent and Impact of Publicity-Oriented Legal Challenges to Physician-Assisted Suicide
Elena Mikhaylov Student
Keller Graduate School of Management – Online HS542

Keri Bahar
February 2012

Introduction The word Euthanasia originated from the Greek language: eu means “good” and thanatos means “death”. In Ancient Greece it meant literally "the good death". The term euthanasia normally means that the person who wishes to commit suicide must initiate the act. The Oxford English Dictionary Online (2nd edition, 1989; online version Sep. 2011) provides the following definitions of euthanasia: "A gentle and easy death...[T]he means of bringing about a gentle and easy death...

However, in today’s society term euthanasia includes both voluntary and involuntary termination of life. Euthanasia has many meanings. Except for involuntary euthanasia, all these terms are closely related because the victim requests the action. The only difference is who is actually committing the act,

Voluntary euthanasia is a help to mentally competent person to die through the assistance of others and can be divided in two categories. Passive Euthanasia means causing the death of a person by withdrawing some form of support and letting nature take its course. For example: removing life support, stopping medical procedures, stopping food and water and allowing the person to dehydrate or starve to death, and not delivering CPR. Active Euthanasia involves causing the death of a person through a direct action, in response to a request from that person.

For many people, euthanasia is a preferable option compare to loss of independence and unbearable suffering.

Background Euthanasia has always been a highly controversial topic. In