Death is certainly one of the most delicate topics to talk about. With the advancement of technology and medicine, death appears to be slightly delayed and life prolonged; some are lucky enough to temporarily escape death and survive naturally fatal accidents. But this raises a certain question: what would happen if a person wanted to die? According to the Pew Research Center (2013), “the overall average life expectancy in the United States is currently 78.7 years.” The Pew Research Center surveyed 2,012 adults if they "choose to undergo medical treatments to slow the aging process and live to be 120 or older... 56% say 'no'... [while] 68% think that most other people would." In fact, the average ideal lifespan of adults surveyed is 90 years. What does this mean? We cannot exclusively conclude that people want to die young, but they certainly do not want to live long. Interestingly, when asked whether life-prolonging medical advances are generally good, 63% of Americans agree, and 54% believe that “today's medical care is worth the cost because it allows people to live longer. longer and better quality life." But what options do Americans have when their lives are getting longer, but their quality of life is deteriorating dramatically? What options does the American have after the best of hospice and palliative care have failed to cure unbearable, unbearable pain? One answer to this question is euthanasia. Euthanasia is the act of mercy killing, which means that the euthanized patient has a dignified and painless death. Euthanasia comes in many forms and knowing the difference is vital. Euthanasia can be active, passive, indirect, voluntary, non-voluntary or involuntary (BBC, n.d.). Respectively, the first three types refer to the person who administers euthanasia, while the last three...... middle of paper ......le, that a doctor allows an otherwise healthy patient suffering from a disease to die normally treatable disease disease; this would count as an intentional homicide, even if it was committed passively. (Fieser, 2011) On a much smaller scale, it is similar to insulting someone by not shaking their hand. To reiterate, Rachel's point is to allow active euthanasia not only because there is no difference between it and passive euthanasia, but also because active euthanasia is more merciful than the latter. According to Fieser, there are also four main arguments of euthanasia opponents: intentional killing, slippery slope, possible recovery, and no guarantee of voluntariness (2011). In arguments about the illegality of intentional killing, opponents of euthanasia argue that euthanasia is essentially killing. Killing was despised throughout the century