er to leave. He then ordered an increase in her morphine dosage, but refused to confirm the order in writing. Within minutes the woman was dead. Zylicz demanded an explanation from his colleague. The other doctors reply was, It could have taken another week before she died. I needed the bed (Eads, 93). For reasons like these, if a person were to become disabled without previously completing a living will in a clear state of mind, they should not be put to death. Anyone that would truly wish to die in that state would have taken the initiative to make his or her intentions clear before the crippling event took place. As in all cases, the responsibility of the patients life should be up to a medical staff in concurrence with the patient and family. Undoubtedly, euthanasia can be gruesome and downright immoral if not managed with extreme responsibility, but groups in support of euthanasia still support terminally ill patients option to die with dignity and respect. Euthanasia can be administered with positive effects as long as certain situational factors are always considered. These factors include: the type of assistance, the type of assistant, the type of illness being dealt with, and the age of the patient. Furthermore, euthanasia or assisted suicide should only be a last ditch effort after optimal palliative care has been administered. Euthanasia, which means good death in Greek, became a world renown movement launched by a celebrated 1973 case of a doctor who helped her mother die and then was acquitted of criminal charges (Branegan, 31). Since then it has been praised and protested all around the world, the United States is a special case though. In the land of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, I initially assumed that this should not really be an issue. Regardless of race, religion, color, or creed, everyone in this country should have the right to make their own decisions regarding their quality of life and where it is ...
