Carol Bernstein Ferry took her own life in June 2001. She was diagnosed with emphysema and given between six months and a year to live. When she was diagnosed with the disease, she could only think of the pain and anguish inflicted on her and her family, associated with an impossible battle against her disease. Carol Bernstein ended her life in a dignified, peaceful, and painless manner and firmly believed in the right for others to do the same. (Harris, 16 years old) Euthanasia, or medically assisted suicide, is the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma. Voluntary and passive euthanasia is a controversial topic in the United States, but for no good reason; the practice should be legal because it provides further freedom to our citizens and alleviates the suffering of those who are terminally ill, as long as it is performed by qualified and carefully monitored doctors. Not all euthanasias were created equally. There is voluntary and involuntary euthanasia (although it is quite universally agreed that involuntary suicide is just murder) and there is passive and active euthanasia. Passive euthanasia is the intentional withdrawal of medical care so that the patient dies. Passive euthanasia is debated primarily in situations where the patient is receiving life support. Whether or not we should “pull the plug” on patients has been a hotly debated topic since the 1970s and the birth of the “Right to Die” movement, often attracting a lot of media attention. (Medina, 16) “The Right to Die” movement originated during the landmark case of Karen Ann Quinlan. Quinlan went into a coma after ingesting large amounts of alcohol and prescription drugs when he was 21. He needed a feeding tube and a respirator… middle of paper… fears of the most extreme and distorted forms of the practice. Legalizing physician-assisted suicide is not putting us on the path to genocide. It's all about accelerating a natural right of passage for all living beings, death, to those who need it most. No one should look a loved one in the eye and tell them they don't have the chance to die with dignity, but only to live. with pain.Works Cited1. Harris, Nancy. The ethics of euthanasia. San Diego: Thomson/Gale;, 2005. Print.2. Kimsma, G.. "Death on Request in the Netherlands." National Center for Biotechnology Information. US National Library of Medicine, July 29, 2010. Web. January 1, 2014. .3. Medina, Loreta M.. Euthanasia. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Print.4. Snyder, Carrie L.. Euthanasia: Opposing Views. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Print.