“If it was an animal you wouldn’t let it go on”

With growing understanding of the science of mind and body, people are increasingly wanting to determine the nature of their own demise, particularly in the case of debilitating injury or illness.

Although we are increasingly coming to terms with recreation of ourselves, through plastic surgery, transplants and genetic engineering, it remains illegal to opt for euthanasia (“good death”). But it is not taboo to talk about it any more. It is often those with the best understanding and experience of illness and injury who wish to predetermine their own death, while those who argue that it should remain illegal have little scientific rationale. The great irony is that often we keep people alive in circumstances that we would describe as barbaric if they where applied to animals or prisoners. It is past time due to allow people to predetermine their death and regulate facilities and people to enable euthanasia.

Peter Singer offers an excellent analysis in his writings. Try Rethinking Life and Death.

And here is the BBC editorial How should the end come?

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