To Kill, or Not to Kill? That is the Question.
             The American Heritage College Dictionary defines murder as, "the unlawful killing of one human being by another, especially when premeditated." In addition to the dictionary's definition, it is in my opinion that to commit murder, one must have an evil hand and an evil mind. Throughout North America, more specifically in the United States, committing suicide or attempting to commit suicide is not a criminal act. However, assisting an individual in a suicide attempt is an illegal act. Thus, some may argue that Euthanasia is murder. I however believe that Euthanasia does not belong in this category.
             The word Euthanasia originated from the Greek language: eu which means "good" and thanatos means "death." One meaning given to this word is "the intentional termination of life by another at the explicit request of the person who dies." That is, the term euthanasia normally implies that the act must be initiated by the person who wishes to commit suicide. However, some people define euthanasia to include both voluntary and involuntary termination of life. If I were to define Euthanasia, my definition would be: one who assists or aids to the killing of another in a painless way at the request of the person who dies. However, there are different varieties of Euthanasia.
             Passive Euthanasia includes hastening the death of an individual by altering some form of support and letting nature take its course. For example, removing life support equipment such as turning off a respirator, and stopping medical procedures such as medications would be two prime examples of Passive Euthanasia. This variation of Euthanasia is not a form of murder because the person who dies was already in the process of dying, and the cause of death was not premeditated.
             Active Euthanasia involves causing the death of a person through a direct action, in respon...