She just wants to die with some dignity. In this essay I will start off by examining whether or not voluntary, active euthanasia is morally permissible and then secondly I will examine whether or not it should be allowed to be legally practised in Canada. Before we can set out and accomplish the task of determining whether or not voluntary active euthanasia should be morally permissible and should be practised in Canada we should at least take a moment to learn what the difference is between active and passive euthanasia and what the difference is between voluntary, involuntary and non-voluntary euthanasia. Even though this essay will concentrate on active, voluntary euthanasia it is important to know exactly what is meant by the term voluntary active euthanasia. Types of Euthanasia Euthanasia is bringing about the death of someone either by act or by omission for that individual s own good.
Active euthanasia is when someone is helped to die by something other than their disease or illness.
An example of this would be Dr. Kevorkian giving a lethal injection to a patient who is dying from cancer. In instances of passive euthanasia there are no extraordinary measures taken to keep the patient alive. It is therefore the disease or illness that causes the death of the suffering individual. These are simple and therefore I shall not go into them with any real depth. Voluntary euthanasia is when the patient who is suffering willingly asks or agrees to the termination of their life knowing that it is in their best interest.