Euthanasia Euthanasia literally means an “ easy or painless death”. It can also mean mercy killing , the deliberate ending of the life of someone suffering from an incurable disease or the effects of terrible injury. Such a decision could be taken by a doctor or relative whose motive is to relieve intolerable misery and pain or not to prolong the life of a body in which the brain is no longer functioning. Although the issue of euthanasia, and the associated debate has been around for centuries it has in recent years acquired a new relevance and urgency. The prominence of the euthanasia issue can be attributed to a number of interrel