Statistics

•In 1984, the Dutch Supreme Court declared euthanasia to be legal. In 1990, 9% of all deaths in the Netherlands were a result of physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia, with euthanasia accounting for the vast majority of those.
•In 1996, a euthanasia bill went into effect in Australia's Northern Territory but it was overturned by the Australian Parliament in 1997.


•In 1997, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the related cases of Washington v. Glucksberg and Vacco v. Quill that there is no federal constitutional right to assisted suicide.

•In the United States, physician-assisted suicide in legal only in Oregon. The Oregon Death With Dignity Act was passed in November 1994 by a margin of 51% to 49%. After multiple legal proceedings prevented its enactment, the Act became law on October 27, 1997. In November 1997, 60% of voters voted against Measure 25, which would have repealed the Act. The Death With Dignity Act legalizes physician-assisted suicide but prohibits euthanasia.

•The states of California, Washington, Michigan and Maine have rejected ballot referenda questions to legalize physician-assisted suicide. The Supreme Court of Alaska in Alaska v. Sampson declared there is no state constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide, as did the Florida State Supreme Court in McIver v. Kirscher. The Hawaii State Senate voted down a bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide.

•In 1999, Dr. Jack Kevorkian was sentenced to a 10-25 year prison term for giving a lethal injection to Thomas Youk.

•In 2002, Belgium legalized euthanasia.
 

Euthanasia

Every Human being born in this world, has the right to life. Euthanasia, known commonly as mercy-killing, destroys the very right to existance. medicine and technology have grown leaps and bounds in recent years. Medicine today, has greater power over existance than life and death itself. It has the power to prolong life that seems uninteresting, or terminate life without suffering.

In my opinion, euthanasia is a wrongful practice and should not be legalised. nobody can destroy something that each one of us has been gifted with. Euthanasia is a practice where in one is put to sleep or his life is taken away in a peaceful manner in order to overcome suffering. Life is seen as a curse to a number of people, most of who are suffering from disease and pain. Their easy remedy to escape this "so called curse" is ending life in a peaceful manner, or the practice of euthanasia. Nobody is created perfect, and everybody will, someday, drink from life's cup of sorrow. many are ready to brave these challenges and fight life. But, the many who give up on life, are the ones that contribute to this wrongful practice of voluntary Euthanasia.

We hear of millions of cases of non-voluntary Euthanasia taking place, only beacause a child is born mentally, or physically handicapped. Do these children not have as much right to life as we do? They are seen as a burden on the family, and their very existance is not desired. these childre are born with as many desires as the rest of us have, and as many dreams to fulfil, as we have. But, they are deprived of basic existance.

The many people that are born paralyzed, the many who cannot express their feelings in words, and the many that are bed ridden for life, all of whom have the basic desire to live. Their right to existance is taken away by the many of us who can walk, talk, and lead a normal life. This evil practice of involuntary Euthanasia is still in practice today, in many countries at large.

The hippocratic oath states that "I will give no deadly medicine to anyone if asked, nor suggest any such counsel." Then why, is Euthanasia still in practice today? I strongly believe that every human being is born with the right to live, and should acknowledge their right to live !