Voluntary euthanasia can be defined as giving a terminally ill patient the opportunity to end their life earlier, in a peaceful and humane manner. Dr Jack Kevorkian and Sir Terry Pratchett are two men who have been and are currently facing prison time for their support of voluntary euthanasia. Diane Pretty and Vincent Humbert are two people whose lives have been negatively affected by their support of voluntary euthanasia. Voluntary euthanasia should be legal in all states because every person should have the right to die with dignity and peace whenever they choose. However, others choose to argue that voluntary euthanasia should remain illegal because it goes against the Catholic and Christian religions. There is also a belief that voluntary euthanasia defeats the goals of the doctor's work. Some worry about the patient's mental health at this time and argue that the patient may not be fully competent and understand the choices they are making. Others point out that if voluntary euthanasia is legalized, involuntary euthanasia will soon follow. Involuntary euthanasia ends a patient's life without their consent. Despite fears that involuntary euthanasia may become a legal and ethical belief, voluntary euthanasia should be legalized as long as the person has the opportunity to choose to end their life. Voluntary euthanasia is currently legal in states including Washington, Oregon, and Montana. Euthanasia is legal in Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Australia is fighting to legalize voluntary euthanasia. If so many people support voluntary euthanasia, why...... middle of paper...... Web.Chitty, Kay Kittrell. “Chapter 21.” Professional nursing: concepts and challenges. St. Louis: Elsevier Saunders, 2005. 538. Print. “Diane Pretty fails in her final legal request to die. » British Journal of Nursing (BJN) 11.9 (2002): 601. CINAHL Plus with full text. EBSCO. Web. "Dr. Kevorkian's luck is running out." New York Times March 27, 1999: 16. Newspaper Source Plus. EBSCO. Internet. April 26, 2011. “euthanasia”. Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011. Web. April 17, 2011. Horsburgh Susan, Dietlind Lerner and Bryce Corbett. "His son's last wish." People 60.15 (2003): 83. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Internet. April 23, 2011.Thomas, Liz. "BBC films dying man exposed on euthanasia." Daily Mail April 15, 2011: 10. Newspaper Source Plus. EBSCO. “Jack Kevorkian.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Internet. May 05 2011.