Euthanasia is made up of two Greek words Eu, meaning well or good, and thanatos, meaning death. Everyone when they reach the point where they know life is nearly at an end for them wants a good death, without pain and suffering just to go to sleep. There are three types of Euthanasia which are considered when looking at the death of someone not from natural causes, by this I mean not without a long term illness like cancer, or who dies in a care setting.

Firstly: Passive euthanasia is the withholding of active treatment, like chemotherapy, and the administration of strong opiate pain killers. This practice is common in hospitals and other care settings, even when the patient goes home to die. There is no dilemma regarding this form of euthanasia, as most people want to be pain free after a long struggle with any form of terminal cancer.

Secondly: Non-active euthanasia is when life support is withdrawn, and is usually contemplated when the doctors have tested for brain activity in severe brain injury. This poses ethical dilema’s as the person concerned can often look peaceful and have good colour. So as far as relatives are concerned they could wake up at any moment, and they may always wonder what if I had waited a few days?

Thirdly: Active euthanasia is using a lethal injection to cause death, as happens in pets who are suffering at the end of their lives. This type of euthanasia is the most controversial in humans, as the person may not have given consent. Also it could be argued that Hitler performed Active euthanasia on the non-Aryan population during the second world war, so consent for this to happen may not always be sought.

Assisted suicide is a term used when a patient takes an active part in their own death, meaning that the person concerned would administer their own medication at the final moment. This does not mean that we are all at liberty to give people poisons or tablets to induce death, as this would be unlawful. However, it does mean that in controlled situations such medicines can be administered by the person concerned after consultation with a doctor. Keeping both the person and their relatives safe from legal proceedings. Certainly in Switzerland there are clinics which cater to assisted suicide.

Both euthanasia and assisted suicide are moral and ethical dilemmas which need to be given serious consideration before embarking on either. For once the lethal dose is given there is no going back, no way to say stop ‘I don’t want this for myself or a relative’.

My mother has a living will which states that she does not want active treatments if she has a life-threatening disorder or disease. She just wants to be made comfortable in the last stage of her life. She has made this conscious decision because she saw my father suffer from cancer, and does not want to be kept alive just for the sake of it. This I can fully support, as why should we be pumped with this, that and the other just to be kept alive, to exist without living. These are all things to take into consideration before condemning the person who wishes to have a good death.