Euthanasia comes from an ancient Greek root meaning something like 'good/kind death.' The nearest translation is probably 'mercy killing.' Apart from a few countries including Switzerland and the Netherlands, the law tends not to regards euthanasia as different from murder, though in practice there have been many cases where people have quietly helped a loved one to die when the loved one has been incurably ill/in great pain etc.
The great problem with euthanasia of course is the fear that relatives etc could put pressure on a sick person to 'go quietly' even if they don't want to, so there is great difficulty in finding a legal way to help willing people end their suffering, without endangering the lives of patients who don't want to die at all. However, as more and more people live longer and are kept alive artifically, it seems certain that more of us will want the option of choosing to die if life becomes intolerable.
