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Euthanasia

Euthanasia has become a subject of increasing public concern. In a sense, it is an issue which is a product of our technology. We have reached a point at which, through improved technology, we are able to keep individuals alive for longer periods of time. The problem is that they are often kept alive at an irreversible point in the living-dying interval and at a point of poor quality of life. We are able to keep individuals alive longer, but the quality of that existence is another issue. The hospital, with its emphasis on curing and saving, does not necessarily consider the quality of the life that is subsequently available to the patient. We may be saving a life, but we could say we are in fact prolonging the dying process in many cases. This also leads to greater financial and emotional stresses for those close to the dying person, as their anticipatory grief continues on.

Active or positive euthanasia occurs when someone takes an action to end a life. Passive or negative euthanasia is a bit more difficult to define. It is, in effect, the decision to do nothing to continue life. Some people argue that passive and active euthanasia are simply different versions of the same thing (a decision to allow a death to occur).

Some topics in this essay:
, Nazi Germany, Hippocratic Oath, active euthanasia, passive euthanasia, active passive, active passive euthanasia, able individuals alive, commission action, health-care providers, able individuals, individuals alive, individual decision, euthanasia argument, quality life,