Mercy killing, or assisted suicide, is when one person intentionally ends the life of another who is suffering from extreme pain or an incurable disease. It is illegal in most places, but some argue it should be treated differently than intentional homicide. The practice is controversial, and often done out of love or compassion. It can be done through fatal overdoses or by turning off life support machines. In areas where it is permitted, it must be done by a licensed physician and is strictly regulated. The practice is controversial among medical professionals and religious leaders.
Mercy killing, also known as voluntary euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide, is essentially an act by one person that is intended to end the life of another suffering from extreme pain or incurable disease. It is considered criminal homicide in most but not all places, although proponents argue that it should be treated differently than intentional homicide because, in general, it is done out of love or compassion for the person killed. People suffering from a prolonged illness often wish to die rather than simply waiting for nature to take its course, even though they may not be able to end their lives effectively. Friends and family members of people who use life support machines or who live only on the support of ventilation or other medical interventions also sometimes choose to turn these devices off, essentially resulting in the death of the attacked person. The practice is highly controversial and polarizing, even in places where it is permitted by law.
Why does this happen?
Assisted suicide is usually only referred to as a “mercy killing” if there is some compelling reason why helping someone to die might be seen as merciful, and in most cases this boils down to physical suffering. People who live in extraordinary pain every day often wish for death as a way to end their misery, especially if they know their condition is terminal and that death is imminent. Sometimes they want to control the conditions of their death, such as having friends and family nearby, and often they also want to maintain at least some clarity so they know what’s going on and are able to say their final goodbyes.
How it happens
There are a couple of different ways people help others die, but fatal overdoses are among the most common. In these cases doctors prescribe forceful drugs and combinations designed to quickly and peacefully end someone’s life. People who are able can self-administer these drugs, usually by swallowing them, or they can also have them injected intravenously.
Running out of medically necessary life support is also common. People who depend on ventilators or life support machines may request that these machines be turned off, which usually leads to a relatively quick death. Family members and loved ones of patients in such situations sometimes choose to remove life support mechanisms themselves as well, often if the patient is unconscious or unresponsive and is never expected to recover.
Legality issues
Assisted suicide is illegal in many places, including most US states. Other countries, such as Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, have established provisions for legal euthanasia, but the practice is usually strictly regulated and can only take place under certain terms and conditions.
In areas where assisted suicide is permitted, it almost always must be done by and under the supervision of a licensed physician. In other words, it is generally illegal for anyone other than a doctor to actually administer the deadly treatments, even though others may often be present. Laws in some places specify that only people with certain diseases or pain conditions are eligible.
It is a crime in almost all jurisdictions for non-physicians to end another’s life, even if it is what the person wants. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen, though. If convicted, the person who illegally commits the mercy killing can be sent to prison.
Jail may also be a reality for doctors who help terminally ill patients end their lives in areas where the practice is prohibited. One of the best-known physician-assisted suicide activists was the American pathologist Dr. Jack Kevorkian. He was reported to have illegally assisted in the deaths of over 100 patients in the United States, and was convicted of multiple counts of second-degree murder in the late 1990s and sent to prison. He was released in 2007 after agreeing not to give suicide advice to anyone else, after which he appeared on various universities and television talk shows to promote his beliefs and theories about a patient’s right to die.
Controversy
Mercy killing and physician-assisted suicide are a controversial topic in society and among medical professionals at large, and much of that debate exists aside from its strict legality. Some doctors believe the practice goes against the do-no-harm doctrine of the profession, while others argue that prolonging the life of someone who wishes to die and who is certain to die soon in the future is a cruel violation of human rights. A number of religious leaders also oppose the practice on moral and ethical grounds.
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