Modern+History


 *  Modern History of Euthanasia **

Since the 1900, there has been more tolerance now than a century ago. Laws regulating suicide (for the most part) don't exist anymore, and medical technology has greatly improved to the point where it can sustain "artificial life." Here are some key events that have influenced public perception of it.

In **1949**, the Nazis launched a eugenics program called "Action T4" which euthanized "life unworthy of life" in an attempt to "strengthen" the Aryan race by eliminating the weak. In all, 70,000 Germans were killed during Hitler's two year program. Many often connect this with the definition of "euthanasia" and thus give it a negative connotation, but this is inaccurate, because euthanasia stresses on the individual's right to choose death, whereas this program emphasized on the government's right to kill. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2363/2456381721_682d8f05f2_o.jpg

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 * Karen Ann Quinlan Case**: In 1975, Karen Ann Quinlan (1954-1985) was found in an unconscious state after she took tranquilizers with alcohol. After being rushed to the hospital, she slipped into a "persistent vegetative state" where she became dependent on a feeding tube and medical ventilator. After several months, her parents decided that Karen would not have wished to live in such a state and wanted to remove the ventilator. Medical officials refused, her parents took the case to court, and they won the right in 1976. Although she mysteriously could breathe unaided and lived for 10 more years after removal of the ventilator, her case revolutionized the world in that it alerted people to the issue of what would happen after they became brain-dead. People became more interested in "living wills," instructions that direct an individual's family on what actions taken regarding the individual's health after the individual is unable to make a decision on his/her own.


 * Nancy Cruzan Case**: After a car accident in 1983, Nancy Cruzan slipped into an "irreversible coma," becoming dependent on a feeding tube for nutrition. Her parents battled for 7 years to have the feeding tube removed. This case tested the line between active and passive euthanasia. Her parents argued that the tube "was a medical treatment keeping their daughter alive," but some opponents believed that this was intentionally starving her to death. (ProQuest Staff)


 * Dr. Jack Kevorkian** (a.k.a. "Dr. Death"): (born 1928) A "retired pathologist" and "infamous" supporter of euthanasia, Dr. Kevorkian stirred up national controversy over euthanasia by his insensitive handling of the subject. In his "career," he claims he has euthanized at least 130 individuals. To euthanize his patients, he designed the "Thanatron" and "Mercitron", the latter after his medical license was revoked in 1991, since he no longer had legal access to the materials required for the former. The "Thanatron" worked by delivering sedatives and a lethal dose of potassium chloride to stop the heart, while the "Mercitron" provided carbon monoxide to suffocate the patient. However, he was arrested and convicted of second-degree homicide in 1999 after he openly flaunted the assisted suicide of Thomas Youk (who had given his consent). In 2007, he was paroled and now continues to campaign for the legalisation of euthanasia. (Gray)


 * Dr. Philip Nitschke**: An Australian doctor who founded //Exit International//, a "pro-euthanasia group", Nitschke is often considered "the Australian equivalent of Jack Kevorkian" (Yount 121). He managed to pass a euthanasia law in 1996 (that got overturned soon), but managed to euthanize three people.


 * Oregon's "Death with Dignity" Act**: In 1994, Oregon successfully passed laws that approved of euthanasia in certain cases--when the individual had 6 months or less to live.

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