Out of the 196 countries in the world, only 9 countries have legalised euthanasia or assisted death. These countries include the Netherlands, Belgium, Colombia, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Albania and the United States. In 2018, India legalised euthanasia. Even in USA, only the states of Washington, Oregon, Vermont, New Mexico and Montana have it legalised.
There are various types of euthanasia each of which brings a different set of problems. Active and passive euthanasia are two types of euthanasia that exist. In active euthanasia, a person directly and deliberately causes the patient's death. In passive euthanasia they don't directly take the patient's life, they just allow them to die. Active euthanasia is when death is brought about by an act - for example when a person is killed by being given an overdose of pain-killers. Many believe that passive euthanasia is a better option while there are others who believe that active euthanasia is morally better.
There is also another distinction in form of voluntary and involuntary euthanasia. Non-voluntary euthanasia involves cases where the person is either very young or an adult who is mentally and emotionally able to take the decision but is not regarded in law as old enough to take such a decision, so someone else must take it on their behalf in the eyes of the law.
Involuntary euthanasia occurs when the person is killed on the behest of family or medical practitioner who believes that the patient could not recover. This form of euthanasia is usually equated to murder, but it is possible to imagine cases where the killing would count as being for the benefit of the person who dies. Countries like Belgium and the Netherlands have legalised this form of euthanasia as they believe that children should possess the same decisional capacity as some adults.
Many people have ended their lives with the help of assisted suicide and legalised euthanasia. Many people have advocated for euthanasia. In 2019, Belgian Paralympic athlete Marieke Vervoort who suffered from an incurable degenerative muscle disease made the decision to end her life through euthanasia at the age of 40.
There are several countries where euthanasia laws are quite liberal. Belgium for instance allows physician-assisted society. In 2015, Belgium allowed a physically healthy 24-year-old woman the right to die because she was suffering from depression. Similarly, the Netherlands allows patients with “unbearable suffering” to die. This includes a man who had been diagnosed with borderline dementia and a woman who had incurable tinnitus. In 2019, Belgium’s Euthanasia Commission received 2,655 declarations of euthanasia, which was a 12.5% increase than 2018.
