The Hippocratic Oath, written by Hippocrates, was composed with the intent of maintaining high ethical standards in the medical field. The original text is still used by modern doctors, exemplifying its significance to contemporary as well as ancient medicine. In this document, Hippocrates touches on many of the same issues that doctors face today. Euthanasia, one of the topics presented in the oath, is the most crucial to present-day society and the medical field that serves it.
             Despite being a problem in historic times, euthanasia is a controversial issue even today. In his world-famous oath, Hippocrates wrote, "I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it nor will I make a suggestion to this effect." With this caption, Hippocrates impresses upon the reader, as well as the undertaker of the oath, the role of the medical practitioner in regards to assisted suicide. His opinion on this topic presents euthanasia of any form, as outside the ethical boundaries of the medical field. While this is only one man's opinion, Hippocrates captured the standpoint of the moral masses with it. Being embraced by the medical field and incorporated into belief systems of all varieties, his outlook on euthanasia was proven to be the honorable position to take.
             I once heard that, in spite of our changing environment and technology, the human race and the fundamental troubles we face, have always remained constant. Very recently, euthanasia has appeared in courts and newspapers as a subject shrouded with controversy. The case of one doctor, Jack Kevorkian, exemplified the constancy of humanity regardless of time. Kevorkian had been assisting terminally ill patients in permanently ridding themselves of pain and suffering. Despite having taken the Hippocratic Oath, he chose to break his word and help other people to take their lives. I must assume he was operating on the idea that, because their afflictions were fatal and they ...