History of euthanasia from the standpoint of situation ethics

This study tries to analyse the global history of euthanasia, stressing the 1933-1945 Nazi Germany's distorting effects in it. The Nazi atrocities, perpetuated under the name of "euthanasia" have nothing to do with it regarding the objectives and the practice. Therefore, we propose to exempt the dark age of Nazism from the history of euthanasia. The Nazi racist ideology and the "supreme race" thesis may have inspired certain medical research and practice in post war years, but they are subjects of another study; we leave them out for now. After World War II , the quest for freedom for euthanasia has continued resulting in change of laws granting euthanasia rights in many Western countries. In some countries like Belgium and the Netherlands, euthanasia practices sometimes surpassed their boundaries resulting in criminal investigations for murder. In Turkey, there is no right for euthanasia; state authorities and religious authorities have condemned and outlawed its practice. Yet we see, that many terminally ill people kill themselves, and this trend is on the rise. Sometimes, these people even apply savage methods to kill themselves. For an approach to bioethical problems in general and ethical problems concerning euthanasia in particular, this study proposes Dr. Joseph Fletcher's "situation ethics" as a method. Situation ethics is based on Christian ethics, so we also made an inquiry, if we can also obtain an ethical basis in the Turco -Islamic culture for this philosophy. As a result, this study doesn't imply a clearcut ethical decision on euthanasia, but it stresses the importance to honor one's own decision on one's own life.