Euthanasia is a topic that everyone has an opinion on, and it's usually a very strong one. You hear people discuss it like abortion. Is euthanasia ethical? Is it murder? Euthanasia is not murder because it is not a brutal act of killing and it is only administered with the consent of the patient or of his/her family. The definition of murder is to kill brutally or to put an end to. Webster's dictionary goes on to define euthanasia as "an easy and painless death, or, method of causing death painlessly so as to end suffering: advocated by some way to deal with victims of incurable diseases." It originated from the Greek word 'euthanatos', which literally means 'well-death' or 'gentle-death' (Downing and Smoker 7). Today it is better known as "mercy killing." This topic has a lot of ethical arguments, and people have their reasons for supporting or sustaining it.
             The word murder means to kill brutally or put an end to. This means euthanasia is not considered murder because brutality is not involved. Murder is also immoral and is a method of killing. Murder is considered immoral because it is principally wrong. Murder is also a method of killing. Euthanasia falls under this category as well, however euthanasia is voluntary, and murder is not.
             The word brutal is defined in the Webster dictionary as harsh, severe and cruel. Murder is brutal in the way it is enacted. Euthanasia is not considered cruel. It is a painless act performed for the patient's benefit. Murder has no benefits; euthanasia does. Euthanasia is beneficial to the patient, to the family in emotional distress, and economically. Euthanasia saves relatives from tremendous medical bills, when there is no cure for the patient. It also relieves the family and friends of emotional distress. The patient benefits through a painless death, which is in fact not considered a brutal act of killing.
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