The Euthanasia society of America was formed in the United States in 1938. During the late 1950’s medical and technological advances made it possible to maintain terminally ill patients alive for a longer period of time than before. Even though were able to sustain terminally ill peoples lives it has been questioned whether their lives were worth sustaining. During 1994 Oregon began its battle to legalize euthanasia. A few years after its approval voters decided to retain the law. In order to receive medication at least two physicians must concur that their patient has less than six months to live. In the United States euthanasia is often referred to as mercy killing. Proponents of euthanasia believe it’s a way to relief terminally ill peoples low life quality. They also say it provides extreme relief. Proponents argue that the right to die is protected by the same constitutional safeguards that guarantee marriage or any other right. Opponents argue that doctors have a moral responsibility to keep patients alive as reflected by the Hippocratic oath. They also say that legalizing euthanasia will target the poor and disabled and create incentives for insurance companies to terminate lives in order to save money.
Jack Kevorkian was an American pathologist known for assisting terminally ill patients death through physician-assisted suicide. In 1990 he assisted Janet Adkins in suicide. He was sent to jail, but later released. That did not stop Kevorkian he assisted many others in suicide. In 1998, the Michigan legislature enacted a law making assisted suicide a felony. He allowed a news program 60 Minutes to air a tape he made of the lethal injections. In 1999 he was convicted of second-degree murder and the illegal delivery of a controlled substance. Jack was released on June 1st, 2007 he was suffering from liver damage and hepatitis. Kevorkian died on June 3, 2011.