The Legalisation of Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: An International Comparative Analysis

Euthanasia is the practice of intentionally and painlessly killing a human being or animal for humane reasons, especially in order to end great suffering or poor quality of life. As most may call it, mercy killing. 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. It has been described as a very a very gentle and quiet death, which happens without painful convulsions and with voluntary consent and support The idea that death should be merciful is not new. When a person is gravely wounded or terminally ill, when death is inevitable, and the suffering is so great that living no longer brings any joy to the person, it is understandable that he or she may wish to die. A vivid example of this was enunciated by Micheal Stolberg, in his work In “Two Pioneers of Euthanasia Around 1800,” where he stated that as part of the early development in the 1800's, there had been accounts of people pulling on the legs of those who had been hanged, but had not yet died, to hasten their deaths. Following medical and legal development, the concept of euthanasia now has other forms associated with it. Thus, euthanasia includes active euthanasia, passive euthanasia, euthanasia by omission, voluntary euthanasia, non voluntary euthanasia, etcetera.<br><br>It is imperative to state that, the determination of the Nexus between euthanasia and suicide has been a question of concern. In Athens, 399 BCE, the Greek philosopher Socrates – imprisoned and sentenced to death by hemlock on the charges of impiety and corrupting Athenian youth – famously raised a cup of the poison to his lips. Descriptions of Socrates’ equanimity at the end of his life, and of his refusal to escape this fate when the opportunity presented itself, have invited the question of whether Socrates’ death was a case of euthanasia or suicide. The distinction may seem peripheral, but we can imagine it likely to have been an important consideration for both Socrates and the jailer who provided his poison. This article is a comparative analysis of euthanasia in the entirety of various selected legal systems around the globe. Moreso, it seeks to provide answers to the unending concerns as to whether or not there should be a universal legalisation of euthanasia all over the World.