Although health is a broad topic, there are many individual conflictual topics that can be found when digging into the health spectrum. One specific topic is euthanasia. More specifically, the right to die. Euthanasia, as stated in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy. There are many different reasons why some people are for and some people are against euthanasia. Some people argue that laws against euthanasia should remain in place because there must be laws to protect people from abuse and prevent immoral doctors from abusing their power on their patients. Others argue that laws against …show more content…
Some people may argue that the government should be involved when it comes to euthanasia but the government’s involvement is taken too far. Making euthanasia illegal in the states is infringing on basic human rights. Not only that, but there is also a “slippery slope” when it comes to the involvement of euthanasia in the medical field and government. The argument that the American government makes to make sure euthanasia remains illegal is very unpersuasive and has a lack of data and support when talking about this topic (Brock 125). Certain types of euthanasia are legal while others are illegal in most states. Euthanasia can be broken down into many different types of performances. The three main types include voluntary euthanasia, involuntary euthanasia, and non-voluntary euthanasia. Voluntary euthanasia is when the person “imposes” to be killed or has requested the physician to kill them. Involuntary euthanasia is when the person does not agree to being killed but the physician pursues death for the patient anyways. Non-voluntary euthanasia is when the person is unable to give consent or request for euthanasia. These three types can also be put into passive or active euthanasia. Passive euthanasia is when the physician allows the patient to die while active euthanasia is death brought upon by an act such as prescribing medications to kill the patient (“Right to Die” n. pag.). Passive euthanasia is legal in America while only five states, California, Oregon, Montana, Vermont, and Washington, have legalized active euthanasia. Furthermore, if a patient is suffering enough they will find a way to obtain euthanasia even if it means finding another physician in a different country or state that has legalized euthanasia (“State-By-State Guide to Physician-Assisted Suicide n. pag.). For example, a man named John Close was suffering from Lou Gehrig’s Disease. This disease caused him to choke on