Euthanasia - who has the right to choose?

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The right to die
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Author(s)	Damian Stachowski

Euthanasia (εὐθανασία, 'good death' in Greek) is the practise of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering.

Origin of term

The first apparent usage of the term "euthanasia" belongs to the historian Suetonius, who described how the Emperor Augustus, "dying quickly and without suffering in the arms of his wife, Livia, experienced the 'euthanasia' he had wished for." The word "euthanasia" was first used in a medical context by Francis Bacon in the 17th century to refer to an easy, painless, happy death, during which it was a "physician's responsibility to alleviate the 'physical sufferings' of the body."

In current usage, euthanasia has been defined as the "painless inducement of a quick death".

Classification

Euthanasia may be classified into three types, according to whether a person gives informed consent: voluntary, non-voluntary and involuntary.

History

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