Have you ever thought about your own death? Although you may have done so, you probably do not really want to die because all people are afraid of death. However, there are people who hope to die owing to the pain of a disease. That is, the patients want euthanasia. According to a dictionary, euthanasia is the painless killing of people who are very ill or very old in order to stop them from suffering.
　　　 Now, euthanasia is illegal because people think that life is vitally important, so life should not be treated casually by people. Some people think that mercy killing is like murder. Other people think that a doctor must continue to try to cure a patient until death. Moreover, many people worry about　 the misuse of mercy killing. Some people may use it in bad ways for their own advantages. For example, a murderer can lie to cover up his crime, saying the dead person wanted to die. At the worst, a son can kill his parents because of hereditary property.
　　　 However, though mercy killing has some problems, I agree with mercy killing. The patients who are in pain for a long time want to end the agony. One means to do that is death. If the patients are really hopeless cases and request to die, mercy killing should be allowed. I think that we have to understand their anguish. When mercy killing is allowed we have several problems, but mercy killing can be a good thing, too. First of all, the patients can be free from suffering and their families can feel a little at ease. The patient can take leave of his family with a clear conscience, when he is conscious. Moreover, if the patients consent, they can donate parts of their bodies to other patients who need them. Though the patient loses his life, he can give a life to other patients.
　　　 However, when we decide on mercy killing, we have to make clear rules and apply them equally to the patients. When the patients want mercy killing eagerly, the doctor must take the decision seriously. Therefore, we should make strict laws. For instance, if a patient wants to die, first the doctor must decide to assist the patient's suicide. After that, the family must agree with the doctor's decision. Then, the doctor must choose a good method without pain and fear to end the patient's life. Finally, mercy killing must be executed in a hospital with his family, doctor and nurse. Thus, if we carry out mercy killing like this example, we can defend patients from its misuse
　　　 Most people want to live long lives. All patients also will want to recover and live in good health. In spite of that, why do some people hope to die? The reason is that their pain is greater than their will to live. If the patients know that they cannot recover and want to die, doctors should help them to die. However, what I really hope is that incurable illnesses will disappear, so euthanasia will no longer need to exist. Until that time, we should think of the patient's situation and give deference to the choice of the patient. Patients' lives are their own, so their deaths must be decided by themselves.