Euthanasia
From RationalWiki
Euthanasia is the act of ending, or aiding in ending, the life of another person due to some compelling circumstances. While these "circumstances" have connotations of "disposing of the useless", in modern discussions it usually refers to helping end the suffering of the terminally ill.
While outright assistance has not found legal support in the United States (see Dr. Kevorkian), end of life hospice care often involves such compassionate acts as administering pain killers at a level that may hasten death, in order to relieve intense pain.
Supporters of such compassion claim it is the human and caring thing to do, as long as the patient is clearly sane and explicit in their wishes.
Opponents invoke two main criticisms. There is a religious critique that argues that only God should be the one to take (an innocent) human life; and the "slippery slope" argument that if the terminally ill are "allowed" to availt hemselves of this option, other circumstances may gradually be invoked, leading to forced termination of patients (or just regular folks) for reasons of social or political convenience.
