Others take completely the opposite view, saying why shouldn't people choose when they die? If a person is suffering from a terminal illness then, as they will die anyway, surely it is better to end it on their own terms, before the suffering becomes too great? I personally fall into this category of thinking.
However, even people who believe in Euthanasia in principle often object to it in practice, because they feel it could have a "slippery slope" effect. Hitler used "euthanasia" as an excuse for killing innocent disabled or Jewish people, in the early days of Nazi control. This is obviously a very extreme case, but there are still dangers. Lets take an example - if a woman with a considerable fortune had a severe illness from which she would not recover, and which affected her speech and movements, her husband could easily claim she had spoken previously of wanting euthanasia if things got bad. She could then be peacefully put to sleep, and he would claim all her money. If euthanasia was to become legal in this country, there would have to be strict guidelines governing who it was used upon, and who made the decisions. In many of the worst terminal illnesses, and many of the cases in which euthanasia would be a serious option, speech and movements are impaired. This means the person would not be able to specify whether of not they wanted their suffering ended. Many say their closest relatives, who would know best what they want, should be left to make the decision. But in the example I gave the husband made the choice, out of greed, and gained a lot from the death of his wife. Would an outsider - the doctor who was to administer the fatal drug - know the difference between a genuine carer and a greedy relative?
Overall, although I agree with all the principles of euthanasia, I see that in practice it would be a very difficult to draw a line between deserving and undeserving cases. Holland is the only European country where euthanasia is not a criminal offence, and I don't think it will become legal in Britain for a long time yet, while no government is prepared to take the plunge on this controversial issue.
There are two types of euthanasia, passive euthanasia, where something the patient cannot survive without but to which they have not consented (such as a life support machine) is switched off or discontinued. Active euthanasia is where a drug is given with the intention of killing the patient.