- Published: September 29, 2022
- Updated: September 29, 2022
- University / College: Queen's University at Kingston
- Language: English
- Downloads: 36
‘ Euthanasia’ isderived from two Greek words which translate to ‘ a good or easy death.’ (Tarakson, 2008). Active Voluntary Euthanasia is the deliberate killing of a human beingby a direct action such as a lethal injection to end or to relieve persistentsuffering. There are two types of Euthanasia; voluntary which is conducted withconsent and non-voluntary which is conducted without consent where anotherperson will make the decision for the patient as they are unable to.
However, my research is on Voluntaryeuthanasia which is performed with consent. Voluntary euthanasia iscurrently legal in Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Switzerland, and thestates of Oregon and Washington in the U. S. (Timothy J. Legg, 2017) It currentlyis not legal in Australia except in the Northern Territory under the Rights of the Terminally IllAct 1995 (NT).
Although recently a Euthanasia bill was passed in Victoria legalising VoluntaryEuthanasia at the end of 2017 and now will soon become law. It is highly likelythat NSW and other states in Australia will be effected by Victoria’s decision. Euthanasia is a very topical debate with strong points on both sides of the argumentbut what are Australian attitudes to Euthanasia? Is it ethical?