What is euthanasia? The word has a very specific definition and that is to intentionally cause the death of another person through omission or through a deliberate action.http://www.nrlc.org/euthanasia/index.html

Oregon is the first state that has laws that authorize euthanasia. Many of the other states prohibit the act. Washington State has joined Oregon and most recently Montana has made this legal.

The act of euthanasia is simply the ending of a pain filled life as many see it. A spouse that has been asked by the terminal patient to end the suffering.http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v4n2/euthanasia.html

The battle is between law makers and the families of the dying. The rest of the voters are looking at the question from their own uninvolved position. The what would I want to have done is very hard to imagine if you are not suffering from a condition that has taken you to the edge of death. That is where many of the family members that are watching this take place are voting from. The actual bedside of their terminal spouse or parent or even their child.

The rest of the voters are looking at it from the what would I want someone to do and I cling to life too much to have it taken away mindset.http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v4n2/euthanasia.html

Dr.Jack Kevorkian brought this topic to the headlines in 1988 when he released his article about euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide.http://www.trinity.edu/mkearl/death02/euthan/Jack%20Kevorkian.htm There were 103 cases where he was involved in the ending of life and in 1997 he was sentenced to 10 - 25 years in prison and was released in 2007. This attention brought the topic to the household conversation and sparked many legal proceedings to make the act of euthanasia legal. This has only been passed in the three states mentioned above.

There are several types of euthanasia, this section will go through them one by one.

Voluntary euthanasia, which means that the person has requested that their life end. This is where someone has written out their express desire that they not be maintained on life support.

Non Voluntary euthanasia occurs when the patient has not stated that they wish to be removed from life support or have their life ended by other means.

Involuntary euthanasia This occurs when the patient has expressly stated he or she did not want to be removed from life support or put to death by other means.

Euthanasia through Action This is the intentional causing a person to die through an action such as providing a lethal injection or providing a lethal dose of any substance.

Euthanasia through Omission This method is causing the death by withholding food or water and ordinary care for the patient.

Assisted Suicide Another person provides the patient with information or the means to take their own life with the intention to aide the patient in this.

Physician Assisted Suicide where a doctor helps a patient to kill themselves by providing the means or the information to do so