Don't Legalize EuthanasiaEuthanasia, a term that can be described as "mercy killing" or the ending of a person's life because they no longer have the desire to live. Euthanasia has been a controversial debate around the world for many years. Two types of euthanasia can be discussed, active and passive. Active described as "kill" and passive as "allow to die". Is it physical pain or is it depression that leads a person to wish for death? If foreign countries allow and cannot control their own “mercy killings,” why shouldn't the United States follow in their footsteps? These questions and life are too often taken for granted. Euthanasia goes against our morality and our duties as human beings. It should not be legalized in the United States, and where it is legal it should be stopped. Active euthanasia is the more controversial of the two types. Proponents of active euthanasia base their defense on "First, it is cruel and inhumane to refuse a terminally ill person's request to mercifully end his or her life to avoid future suffering and/or humiliation. Two, individual choice must be respected to the extent that it does not cause harm to others since no one is harmed by the active euthanasia of terminally ill patients..." (Mappes 57). The common rebuttal to this statement is: "One, killing an innocent person is inherently wrong. Two, killing is incompatible with the doctor's professional responsibilities. And three, any systematic acceptance of active euthanasia would lead to harmful social consequences (e.g., through a decrease in respect for human life)" (Mappes 57). tragic consequences of doctors assisting the death of their patients would have immeasurable and devastating effects..." (National Right to Life Committee). Fighting death and overcoming the odds is how Robert Provan demonstrated that doctors they were wrong. Bob contracted polio at the age of five; he was initially paralyzed from the neck down. Doctors told his parents he would never walk again. Due to impaired breathing and other problems, they believed he would not live to the age of twenty-one. He may also have been a perfect candidate for physician-assisted suicide (National Right to Life Committee). Doctors thought he was "better dead than disabled?"?