Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

The dictionary defines euthanasia as an “act or method of causing death painlessly so as to end suffering: advocated by some as a way to deal with victims of incurable diseases.” This is something of an over-simplification, however. The practice of euthanasia has long been a contentious issue and a matter of disputatious debate. Some have termed euthanasia “mercy killing” ( Vernon 1970 : 310), but others have reported that some critics have labeled it as murder ( Sanders 1969 ; Charmaz 1980 : 112). While euthanasia has generally taken place within a medical context, historically, euthanasia, as a humanitarian act, has also occurred within other contexts, such as war. There are historical accounts (from all wars) of soldiers encountering badly wounded fellow soldiers or wounded enemy soldiers. If their wounds were severe and it appeared they would not survive and they could not be transported to a medical facility, the soldiers sometimes killed the wounded individual out of compassion, administering the “coup de grace” – in effect, putting the wounded man out of his misery ( Leming & Dickinson 2002 : 283). Euthanasia most frequently, however, has occurred within a medical context, and this term has come to be associated with terminal illness and the medical setting. The discomfort of terminal illness is not the only motivating factor in euthanasia. Grossly deformed infants have ... log in or subscribe to read full text