A man woke up on July 21, 1975. It was a usual work day for him, nothing out of the ordinary. He got in his car and began his drive to work. While passing through a large intersection, a drunk driver ran a red light and smashed into his car. He received severe life threatening injuries including a concussion, collapsed left lung and crushed left collarbone. A pair of metal tongs had been drilled into his neck attached to weights to stabilize it. The pain was unimaginable. He screamed to the doctors, "Give me something. End my life. I cant' go on; I'm in to much pain." After 6 weeks of becoming medically stable, he spent another 4 months in rehabilitation. Though paralyzed from the waist down and required to use a wheelchair, he has made a full transition to normal life. He reflected on the experience in an article for Euthanasia.com stating, " I can't help but imagine what would have happened if I had the choice to end my life that day." Lucky for this man, the process of Euthanasia was and still is illegal in the United States.
             Encarta.com defines Euthanasia as a practice of mercifully ending a person's life in order to release the person from an incurable disease, intolerable suffering, or undignified death. But in recent years, due to advancements in the medical field, the definition of euthanasia has become increasingly complex. For example, four distinct forms of euthanasia exist; Passive, Active, Involuntary and voluntary. Passive forms include not doing something to prevent death such as when doctors refrain from using artificial respirators to keep alive a terminally ill patient. Active Euthanasia involves painlessly putting someone to death for merciful reasons, such as administering a lethal dose of medication. Voluntary euthanasia occurs when a patient asks to die. Non voluntary euthanasia involves making a decision for a patient who is not mentally able, such as a comma patient or...