73-492: (Redirected from Sacred Flame ) The Sacred Flame may refer to: The Sacred Flame (play) , 1928 play The Sacred Flame (1929 film) , an American film The Sacred Flame (1931 film) , a German-language version The Olympic flame , used in the Olympic torch relay . Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
146-457: A French physician and professor of medicine, and Michael Boudewijns (1601–1681), a physician and teacher. Other voices argued for euthanasia, such as John Donne in 1624, and euthanasia continued to be practised. In 1678, the publication of Caspar Questel's De pulvinari morientibus non-subtrahend , (" On the pillow of which the dying should not be deprived "), initiated debate on the topic. Questel described various customs which were employed at
219-401: A climate of anti-Catholic sentiment generally, regarding issues such as birth control, eugenics, and population control. However, the petition did not result in any legal changes. Historically, the euthanasia debate has tended to focus on a number of key concerns. According to euthanasia opponent Ezekiel Emanuel , proponents of euthanasia have presented four main arguments: a) that people have
292-428: A close relationship with anyone else, her old friend retired Major Liconda visits often. All is as well as can be expected until Maurice is found dead in his bed one morning. Not altogether unexpected, Dr. Harvester is prepared to write the death certificate but then Nurse Wayland cries foul and indicates that she believes Maurice was murdered by being given an overdose of his sleeping draught. The play then works through
365-634: A commercial success, Maugham did not repeat the experiment of literary dialogue again in any of his future plays. The Sacred Flame is the story about the misfortune of Maurice Tabret, previously a soldier of World War I who had returned home unscathed to marry his sweetheart Stella. Unfortunately, after only a year of marriage, Maurice is involved in a plane crash and left crippled from the waist down. The play commences some years later in Gatley House near London , home of Maurice's mother, Mrs. Tabret. Mrs. Tabret's home has been set up to care for her son and
438-541: A desire to artificially hasten their death. In addition, it allowed for infants to be euthanised if they were sufficiently deformed, and permitted guardians to request euthanasia on behalf of their wards. The proposed legislation also imposed penalties on physicians who refused to perform euthanasia when requested: a 6–12-month prison term and a fine of between $ 200 and $ 1,000. The proposal proved to be controversial. It engendered considerable debate and failed to pass, having been withdrawn from consideration after being passed to
511-633: A discussion of euthanasia presented in 2003 by the European Association of Palliative Care (EPAC) Ethics Task Force, the authors offered: "Medicalized killing of a person without the person's consent, whether nonvoluntary (where the person is unable to consent) or involuntary (against the person's will), is not euthanasia: it is murder. Hence, euthanasia can be voluntary only." Although the EPAC Ethics Task Force argued that both non-voluntary and involuntary euthanasia could not be included in
584-408: A doctor at the request of a patient". The Dutch law, however, does not use the term 'euthanasia' but includes the concept under the broader definition of "assisted suicide and termination of life on request". Euthanasia is categorised in different ways, which include voluntary , non-voluntary , and involuntary . Voluntary euthanasia is when a person wishes to have their life ended and is legal in
657-534: A fatal dose of morphine and cocaine to hasten his death. At the time he was suffering from cardio-respiratory failure, and the decision to end his life was made by his physician, Lord Dawson . Although this event was kept a secret for over 50 years, the death of George V coincided with proposed legislation in the House of Lords to legalise euthanasia. A 24 July 1939 killing of a severely disabled infant in Nazi Germany
730-514: A genuine euthanasia. He explains that the Nazi version of "euthanasia" was based on the work of Adolf Jost , who published The Right to Death (Das Recht auf den Tod) in 1895. Lifton writes: Jost argued that control over the death of the individual must ultimately belong to the social organism, the state. This concept is in direct opposition to the Anglo-American concept of euthanasia, which emphasizes
803-507: A growing number of countries. Non-voluntary euthanasia occurs when a patient's consent is unavailable and is legal in some countries under certain limited conditions, in both active and passive forms. Involuntary euthanasia, which is done without asking for consent or against the patient's will, is illegal in all countries and is usually considered murder . As of 2006 , euthanasia had become the most active area of research in bioethics . In some countries, divisive public controversy occurs over
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#1733084880577876-590: A new production for a UK tour. In 1929 Hollywood studio Warner Brothers adapted it as an early sound film The Sacred Flame , followed by a German-language version . In 1935 the studio remade the play as The Right to Live starring Colin Clive and George Brent . Mercy killing Note: Varies by jurisdiction Note: Varies by jurisdiction Euthanasia (from Greek : εὐθανασία , lit. 'good death': εὖ , eu , 'well, good' + θάνατος , thanatos , 'death')
949-570: A number of objections to the Christian doctrine of the sanctity of human life". The rise of the euthanasia movement in the United States coincided with the so-called Gilded Age , a time of social and technological change that encompassed an "individualistic conservatism that praised laissez-faire economics, scientific method , and rationalism ", along with major depressions , industrialisation and conflict between corporations and labour unions. It
1022-424: A number of possible actions that would meet the requirements of the definition but would not be seen as euthanasia. In particular, these include situations where a person kills another, painlessly, but for no reason beyond that of personal gain, or accidental deaths that are quick and painless but not intentional. Another approach incorporated the notion of suffering into the definition. The definition offered by
1095-399: A patient's death, so long as the person is of lawful age and sound mind, and was suffering from a fatal injury, an irrevocable illness, or great physical pain. It also required that the case be heard by a physician, required informed consent in front of three witnesses, and required the attendance of three physicians who had to agree that the patient's recovery was impossible. A motion to reject
1168-405: A person gives informed consent : voluntary, non-voluntary and involuntary. There is a debate within the medical and bioethics literature about whether or not the non-voluntary (and by extension, involuntary) killing of patients can be regarded as euthanasia, irrespective of intent or the patient's circumstances. In the definitions offered by Beauchamp and Davidson and, later, by Wreen, consent on
1241-400: A person suffering from an incurable disease for personal gain (such as to claim an inheritance), and commentators such as Tom Beauchamp and Arnold Davidson have argued that doing so would constitute "murder simpliciter" rather than euthanasia. The third element incorporated into many definitions is that of intentionality: the death must be intended rather than accidental, and the intent of
1314-541: A right to self-determination , and thus should be allowed to choose their own fate; b) assisting a subject to die might be a better choice than requiring that they continue to suffer; c) the distinction between passive euthanasia, which is often permitted, and active euthanasia, which is not substantive (or that the underlying principle–the doctrine of double effect –is unreasonable or unsound); and d) permitting euthanasia will not necessarily lead to unacceptable consequences. Pro-euthanasia activists often point to countries like
1387-437: A secret Nazi decree that led to 'mercy killings' of almost 300,000 mentally and physically handicapped people". While Kretchmar's killing received parental consent, most of the 5,000 to 8,000 children killed afterwards were forcibly taken from their parents. The "euthanasia campaign" of mass murder gathered momentum on 14 January 1940 when the "handicapped" were killed with gas vans and at killing centres, eventually leading to
1460-470: A series of Agatha Christie -style " whodunnit " scenes as the audience attempt to figure out whether Maurice was killed, killed himself, or else if the whole thing is no more than an imagining and false accusation by the Nurse. For the majority of the second and third act the main suspect is Stella, who it transpires is having an affair with Colin and is pregnant by him. It looks as if the matter will be brought to
1533-681: A young Nurse Wayland has been Maurice's constant aid throughout. She is extremely professional and devoted to her job. Maurice's wife Stella lives with them also and remains his cheerful companion and support. Maurice's brother Colin Tabret has returned from a time in Guatemala to spend the previous 11 months before the play's start with his brother and the family. The local practitioner Dr. Harvester visits frequently to check on Maurice's condition and to prescribe appropriate treatments. Mrs. Tabret's own husband has passed on some time ago and whilst she does not have
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#17330848805771606-410: Is William Somerset Maugham 's 21st play, written at the age of 54. Maugham dedicated the publication to his friend Messmore Kendall . The play, written as three acts, is unique within the total of Maugham's list of 24 plays, in that he changed from his previous methodology of using the naturalistic speech pattern he had been so well known for, to experiment with a more literary dialogue. Despite being
1679-528: Is a burden or hindrance to the state. The Nazis followed this principle and compulsory Euthanasia was practiced as a part of their program during the recent war. We American citizens of New York State must ask ourselves this question: "Are we going to finish Hitler's job?" The petition brought tensions between the American Euthanasia Society and the Catholic Church to a head that contributed to
1752-399: Is almost nonexistent. As of 2024, dictionary definitions focus on euthanasia as the act of killing someone to prevent further suffering. There is no sense of whether the person agrees or is proactive in the situation. In 1974 euthanasia was defined as the "painless inducement of a quick death". However, it is argued that this approach fails to properly define euthanasia, as it leaves open
1825-427: Is sufficient current evidence for either A or B that causal means to A's death will not produce any more suffering than would be produced for A if B were not to intervene; (4) the causal means to the event of A's death are chosen by A or B to be as painless as possible, unless either A or B has an overriding reason for a more painful causal means, where the reason for choosing the latter causal means does not conflict with
1898-466: Is sufficient current evidence related to A's present condition such that one or more known causal laws supports B's belief that A will be in a condition of acute suffering or irreversible comatoseness; (3) (a) B's primary reason for intending A's death is cessation of A's (actual or predicted future) suffering or irreversible comatoseness, where B does not intend A's death for a different primary reason, though there may be other relevant reasons, and (b) there
1971-488: Is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering . Different countries have different euthanasia laws . The British House of Lords select committee on medical ethics defines euthanasia as "a deliberate intervention undertaken with the express intention of ending a life to relieve intractable suffering". In the Netherlands and Belgium , euthanasia is understood as "termination of life by
2044-515: The National Secular Society , considering it a duty to society to "die voluntarily and painlessly" when one reaches the point of becoming a 'burden'. Popular Science analyzed the issue in May 1873, assessing both sides of the argument. Kemp notes that at the time, medical doctors did not participate in the discussion; it was "essentially a philosophical enterprise ... tied inextricably to
2117-553: The Oxford English Dictionary incorporates suffering as a necessary condition with "the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma", This approach is included in Marvin Khol and Paul Kurtz's definition of it as "a mode or act of inducing or permitting death painlessly as a relief from suffering". Counterexamples can be given: such definitions may encompass killing
2190-425: The individual's 'right to die' or 'right to death' or 'right to his or her own death,' as the ultimate human claim. In contrast, Jost was pointing to the state's right to kill. ... Ultimately the argument was biological: 'The rights to death [are] the key to the fitness of life.' The state must own death—must kill—in order to keep the social organism alive and healthy. In modern terms, the use of "euthanasia" in
2263-525: The Birmingham Speculative Club in England, which was subsequently published in a one-off publication entitled Essays of the Birmingham Speculative Club , the collected works of a number of members of an amateur philosophical society. Williams' proposal was to use chloroform to deliberately hasten the death of terminally ill patients: That in all cases of hopeless and painful illness, it should be
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2336-678: The Committee on Public Health. After 1906 the euthanasia debate reduced in intensity, resurfacing periodically, but not returning to the same level of debate until the 1930s in the United Kingdom. Euthanasia opponent Ian Dowbiggin argues that the early membership of the Euthanasia Society of America (ESA) reflected how many perceived euthanasia at the time, often seeing it as a eugenics matter rather than an issue concerning individual rights. Dowbiggin argues that not every eugenist joined
2409-551: The ESA "solely for eugenic reasons", but he postulates that there were clear ideological connections between the eugenics and euthanasia movements. The Voluntary Euthanasia Legalisation Society was founded in 1935 by Charles Killick Millard (now called Dignity in Dying). The movement campaigned for the legalisation of euthanasia in Great Britain. In January 1936, King George V was given
2482-599: The Euthanasia Society of America presented to the New York State Legislature a petition to legalize euthanasia, signed by 379 leading Protestant and Jewish ministers, the largest group of religious leaders ever to have taken this stance. A similar petition had been sent to the New York Legislature in 1947, signed by approximately 1,000 New York physicians. Roman Catholic religious leaders criticized
2555-541: The Netherlands under the Groningen Protocol . Passive forms of non-voluntary euthanasia (i.e. withholding treatment) are legal in a number of countries under specified conditions. Involuntary euthanasia is conducted against the will of the patient. Voluntary, non-voluntary and involuntary types can be further divided into passive or active variants. Passive euthanasia entails the withholding treatment necessary for
2628-417: The action must be a "merciful death". Michael Wreen argued that "the principal thing that distinguishes euthanasia from intentional killing simpliciter is the agent's motive: it must be a good motive insofar as the good of the person killed is concerned." Similarly, Heather Draper speaks to the importance of motive, arguing that "the motive forms a crucial part of arguments for euthanasia, because it must be in
2701-423: The action specified in (1) is more or less in accordance with A's plan of action; (5) A's killing of B is a voluntary action; (6) the motive for the action specified in (1), the motive standing behind the intention specified in (2), is the good of the person killed. Wreen also considered a seventh requirement: "(7) The good specified in (6) is, or at least includes, the avoidance of evil", although, as Wreen noted in
2774-428: The benefit of the second person, who actually does benefit from being killed". Draper argued that any definition of euthanasia must incorporate four elements: an agent and a subject; an intention; causal proximity, such that the actions of the agent lead to the outcome; and an outcome. Based on this, she offered a definition incorporating those elements, stating that euthanasia "must be defined as death that results from
2847-465: The best interests of the person on the receiving end." Definitions such as those offered by the House of Lords Select committee on Medical Ethics take this path, where euthanasia is defined as "a deliberate intervention undertaken with the express intention of ending a life, to relieve intractable suffering." Beauchamp and Davidson also highlight Baruch Brody 's "an act of euthanasia is one in which one person ... (A) kills another person (B) for
2920-625: The bill outright was voted down, but the bill failed to pass, 79 to 23. Along with the Ohio euthanasia proposal, in 1906 Assemblyman Ross Gregory introduced a proposal to permit euthanasia to the Iowa legislature . However, the Iowa legislation was broader in scope than that offered in Ohio. It allowed for the death of any person of at least ten years of age who suffered from an ailment that would prove fatal and cause extreme pain, should they be of sound mind and express
2993-608: The cold ground. Suicide and euthanasia became more accepted during the Age of Enlightenment . Thomas More wrote of euthanasia in Utopia , although it is not clear if More was intending to endorse the practice. Other cultures have taken different approaches: for example, in Japan suicide has not traditionally been viewed as a sin, as it is used in cases of honor, and accordingly, the perceptions of euthanasia are different from those in other parts of
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3066-401: The context of Aktion T4 is seen to be a euphemism to disguise a program of genocide , in which people were killed on the grounds of "disabilities, religious beliefs, and discordant individual values". Compared to the discussions of euthanasia that emerged post-war, the Nazi program may have been worded in terms that appear similar to the modern use of "euthanasia", but there was no "mercy" and
3139-417: The continuance of life. Active euthanasia entails the use of lethal substances or forces (such as administering a lethal injection ), and is more controversial. While some authors consider these terms to be misleading and unhelpful, they are nonetheless commonly used. In some cases, such as the administration of increasingly necessary, but toxic doses of painkillers , there is a debate whether or not to regard
3212-416: The coroner and the police, which is likely to mean Stella going on trial for Maurice's murder. At the end of the third act, Mrs. Tabret reveals that it was she that killed Maurice. She had realised that Stella was pregnant, and because Stella's love was all that Maurice lived for, she couldn't bear to see Stella's betrayal exposed. Mrs. Tabret therefore sees her act as a mercy killing . After this revelation,
3285-402: The death of a human being, A, is an instance of euthanasia if and only if (1) A's death is intended by at least one other human being, B, where B is either the cause of death or a causally relevant feature of the event resulting in death (whether by action or by omission); (2) there is either sufficient current evidence for B to believe that A is acutely suffering or irreversibly comatose, or there
3358-555: The deaths of 70,000 adult Germans. was a campaign of mass murder by involuntary euthanasia in Nazi Germany . Its code name Aktion T4 is derived from Tiergartenstraße 4, a street address of the Chancellery department which recruited and paid personnel associated with the program. Professor Robert Jay Lifton , author of The Nazi Doctors and a leading authority on the T4 program, contrasts this program with what he considers to be
3431-499: The definition of euthanasia, there is discussion in the literature about excluding one but not the other. "Euthanasia" has had different meanings depending on usage. The first apparent usage of the term "euthanasia" belongs to the historian Suetonius , who described how the Emperor Augustus , "dying quickly and without suffering in the arms of his wife, Livia, experienced the 'euthanasia' he had wished for." The word "euthanasia"
3504-577: The definition of euthanasia. The first attempt to legalise euthanasia took place in the United States, when Henry Hunt introduced legislation into the General Assembly of Ohio in 1906. Hunt did so at the behest of Anna Sophina Hall , a wealthy heiress who was a major figure in the euthanasia movement during the early 20th century in the United States. Hall had watched her mother die after an extended battle with liver cancer , and had dedicated herself to ensuring that others would not have to endure
3577-405: The evidence in 3b; (5) A is a nonfetal organism. Wreen, in part responding to Beauchamp and Davidson, offered a six-part definition: Person A committed an act of euthanasia if and only if (1) A killed B or let her die; (2) A intended to kill B; (3) the intention specified in (2) was at least partial cause of the action specified in (1); (4) the causal journey from the intention specified in (2) to
3650-492: The first time by Marx. Marx also stressed the distinction of the theological care of the soul of sick people from the physical care and medical treatment by doctors. Euthanasia in its modern sense has always been strongly opposed in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Thomas Aquinas opposed both and argued that the practice of euthanasia contradicted our natural human instincts of survival, as did Francois Ranchin (1565–1641),
3723-566: The following cast: The play was produced in London in February 1929, featuring Gladys Cooper in the role of Stella and Mary Jerrold as Mrs Tabret. In 1966 a major production was presented in the West End starring Gladys Cooper , this time in the role of Mrs Tabret, alongside Wendy Hiller and Leo Genn . There were no major productions between 1967 and 2012, when English Touring Theatre presented
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#17330848805773796-418: The intention of one person to kill another person, using the most gentle and painless means possible, that is motivated solely by the best interests of the person who dies." Prior to Draper, Beauchamp and Davidson had also offered a definition that included these elements. Their definition specifically discounts fetuses to distinguish between abortions and euthanasia: In summary, we have argued ... that
3869-510: The moral, ethical, and legal issues associated with euthanasia. Passive euthanasia (known as "pulling the plug") is legal under some circumstances in many countries. Active euthanasia, however, is legal or de facto legal in only a handful of countries (for example, Belgium, Canada, and Switzerland), which limit it to specific circumstances and require the approval of counsellors , doctors, or other specialists. In some countries—such as Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan—support for active euthanasia
3942-432: The paper, he was not convinced that the restriction was required. In discussing his definition, Wreen noted the difficulty of justifying euthanasia when faced with the notion of the subject's " right to life ". In response, Wreen argued that euthanasia has to be voluntary and that "involuntary euthanasia is, as such, a great wrong". Other commentators incorporate consent more directly into their definitions. For example, in
4015-534: The part of the patient was not considered one of their criteria, although it may have been required to justify euthanasia. However, others see consent as essential. Voluntary euthanasia is conducted with the consent of the patient. Active voluntary euthanasia is legal in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Passive voluntary euthanasia is legal throughout the US per Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health . When
4088-511: The patient brings about their own death with the assistance of a physician, the term assisted suicide is often used instead. Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland and the U.S. states of California, Oregon, Washington, Montana and Vermont. Non-voluntary euthanasia is conducted when the consent of the patient is unavailable. Examples include child euthanasia , which is illegal worldwide but decriminalised under certain specific circumstances in
4161-508: The patients were not necessarily terminally ill. Despite these differences, historian and euthanasia opponent Ian Dowbiggin writes that "the origins of Nazi euthanasia, like those of the American euthanasia movement, predate the Third Reich and were intertwined with the history of eugenics and Social Darwinism, and with efforts to discredit traditional morality and ethics." On 6 January 1949,
4234-462: The petition, saying that such a bill would "legalize a suicide-murder pact" and a "rationalization of the fifth commandment of God, 'Thou Shalt Not Kill. ' " The Right Reverend Robert E. McCormick stated that: The ultimate object of the Euthanasia Society is based on the Totalitarian principle that the state is supreme and that the individual does not have the right to live if his continuance in life
4307-475: The play ends as Nurse Wayland asks Dr. Harvester to sign the death certificate indicating that Maurice died of natural causes, meaning there will be no police investigation. The Sacred Flame premiered 19 November 1928, at Henry Miller's Theatre in New York City. Gilbert Miller directed the three-act drama, which he co-produced with Messmore Kendall. The play closed 10 December 1928, after 24 performances by
4380-494: The practice , writing "I will not prescribe a deadly drug to please someone, nor give advice that may cause his death" (noting there is some debate in the literature about whether or not this was intended to encompass euthanasia). The term euthanasia , in the earlier sense of supporting someone as they died, was used for the first time by Francis Bacon . In his work, Euthanasia medica , he chose this ancient Greek word and, in doing so, distinguished between euthanasia interior ,
4453-590: The practice as active or passive. Euthanasia was practiced in Ancient Greece and Rome : for example, hemlock was employed as a means of hastening death on the island of Kea , a technique also employed in Massalia . Euthanasia, in the sense of the deliberate hastening of a person's death, was supported by Socrates , Plato and Seneca the Elder in the ancient world, although Hippocrates appears to have spoken against
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#17330848805774526-539: The preparation of the soul for death, and euthanasia exterior , which was intended to make the end of life easier and painless, in exceptional circumstances by shortening life. That the ancient meaning of an easy death came to the fore again in the early modern period can be seen from its definition in the 18th century Zedlers Universallexikon : Euthanasia: a very gentle and quiet death, which happens without painful convulsions. The word comes from ευ, bene , well, and θανατος, mors , death. The concept of euthanasia in
4599-433: The recognized duty of the medical attendant, whenever so desired by the patient, to administer chloroform or such other anaesthetic as may by-and-bye supersede chloroform – so as to destroy consciousness at once, and put the sufferer to a quick and painless death; all needful precautions being adopted to prevent any possible abuse of such duty; and means being taken to establish, beyond the possibility of doubt or question, that
4672-524: The remedy was applied at the express wish of the patient. The essay was favourably reviewed in The Saturday Review , but an editorial against the essay appeared in The Spectator . From there it proved to be influential, and other writers came out in support of such views: Lionel Tollemache wrote in favour of euthanasia, as did Annie Besant , the essayist and reformer who later became involved with
4745-468: The right to commit suicide, and, furthermore, that it should be permissible for a doctor to assist – thus making Adler the first "prominent American" to argue for suicide in cases where people were suffering from chronic illness. Both Ingersoll and Adler argued for voluntary euthanasia of adults suffering from terminal ailments. Dowbiggin argues that by breaking down prior moral objections to euthanasia and suicide, Ingersoll and Adler enabled others to stretch
4818-500: The same suffering. Towards this end she engaged in an extensive letter writing campaign, recruited Lurana Sheldon and Maud Ballington Booth , and organised a debate on euthanasia at the annual meeting of the American Humane Association in 1905 – described by Jacob Appel as the first significant public debate on the topic in the 20th century. Hunt's bill called for the administration of an anesthetic to bring about
4891-427: The sense of alleviating the process of death goes back to the medical historian Karl Friedrich Heinrich Marx , who drew on Bacon's philosophical ideas. According to Marx, a doctor had a moral duty to ease the suffering of death through encouragement, support and mitigation using medication. Such an "alleviation of death" reflected the contemporary zeitgeist , but was brought into the medical canon of responsibility for
4964-494: The time to hasten the death of the dying, (including the sudden removal of a pillow, which was believed to accelerate death), and argued against their use, as doing so was "against the laws of God and Nature". This view was shared by others who followed, including Philipp Jakob Spener, Veit Riedlin and Johann Georg Krünitz . Despite opposition, euthanasia continued to be practised, involving techniques such as bleeding, suffocation, and removing people from their beds to be placed on
5037-501: The title The Sacred Flame . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Sacred_Flame&oldid=946094909 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages The Sacred Flame (play) The Sacred Flame (1928)
5110-407: The world. In the mid-1800s, the use of morphine to treat "the pains of death" emerged, with John Warren recommending its use in 1848. A similar use of chloroform was revealed by Joseph Bullar in 1866. However, in neither case was it recommended that the use should be to hasten death. In 1870 Samuel Williams, a schoolteacher, initiated the contemporary euthanasia debate through a speech given at
5183-583: Was also the period in which the modern hospital system was developed, which has been seen as a factor in the emergence of the euthanasia debate. Robert Ingersoll argued for euthanasia, stating in 1894 that where someone is suffering from a terminal illness, such as terminal cancer, they should have a right to end their pain through suicide. Felix Adler offered a similar approach, although, unlike Ingersoll, Adler did not reject religion. In fact, he argued from an Ethical Culture framework. In 1891, Adler argued that those suffering from overwhelming pain should have
5256-676: Was described in a BBC "Genocide Under the Nazis Timeline" as the first "state-sponsored euthanasia". Parties that consented to the killing included Hitler's office, the parents, and the Reich Committee for the Scientific Registration of Serious and Congenitally Based Illnesses. The Telegraph noted that the killing of the disabled infant—whose name was Gerhard Kretschmar , born blind, with missing limbs, subject to convulsions, and reportedly "an idiot"— provided "the rationale for
5329-461: Was first used in a medical context by Francis Bacon in the 17th century to refer to an easy, painless, happy death, during which it was a "physician's responsibility to alleviate the 'physical sufferings' of the body." Bacon referred to an "outward euthanasia"—the term "outward" he used to distinguish from a spiritual concept—the euthanasia "which regards the preparation of the soul." Euthanasia may be classified into three types, according to whether
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