EUTHANASIA

INTRODUCTION

Debate about the morality and legality of euthanasia is, for the most part, a phenomenon of the second half of the twentieth century. Certainly, the ancient Greeks and Romans did not consider life needed to be preserved at any cost and were, in consequence tolerant of suicide in cases where no relief could be offered to the dying or, in the case of the Stoics and Epicureans, where a person no longer cared for his live. In the sixteenth century, Thomas More, in describing a utopian community, envisaged such a community as one that would facilitate the death of those whose lives had become burdensome as a result of “torturing and lingering pain”.
Yet, Western culture is, nowadays, essentially death-denying. There is a reluctance to discuss death on the part of both patients and doctors, and it is often not easy for the approach of death to be explored. It has only been in the last ten years that euthanasia is at the forefront of the news : of all the current and hot questions, it remains the key issue on political and on the media scenes. It is all the more an important debate as ethical problems are at stake. That is why, it is difficult to deal with such swing issue. So, remember while reading the following articles that euthanasia falls within the province of moral consciousness and, that is a pure product of your thought and of your own judgment.

The first part deals with history and definitions of euthanasia in order to avoid misunderstanding and to make clear the words of the debate.
Then, we introduce the main arguments for (II) and against (III) legalising euthanasia, illustrating with some of the striking cases and surveys about the issue (IV).
Finally, we try to reopen the debate, analysing new paths of this current question (V).

To read the conclusion, click here.