Ending Human Life As we age and watch a loved one age, we begin to witness and perhaps experience struggles with illness, poor health, and other serious physical and emotional battles. We are faced with the inevitable reality of death. In rare cases we are forced to make unpleasant decisions and we must ask ourselves: is death better than senseless suffering? Mercy killing is defined as direct action to end a patient's life with or without his or her direct consent (184). Mercy killing is based on the assumption that death will benefit the victim by ending their suffering. Mercy killing is a controversial topic among healthcare professionals and society at large. Much of this debate exists because of differences in moral and ethical opinions. After reviewing Chapter 10 and other articles dealing with mercy killing and merciful death, my argument is in favor of the acceptability of assisted suicide in certain circumstances, such as when a patient is suffering from an incurable or extremely painful disease. Many, however, believe that mercy killing is immoral or unethical...