> It fundamentally contravenes the Hippocratic Oath The Hippocratic Oath is from between the fifth and third centuries BC, and its relevance has long since bee

> It fundamentally contravenes the Hippocratic Oath The Hippocratic Oath is from between the fifth and third centuries BC, and its relevance has long since been superseded by modern ethical guidelines. > Suffering can be alleviated, and it should be society's job to help patients There is a lot of horrible suffering that can not be alleviated unless the doctor induces a coma and keeps the patient in a state of more or less total unconsciousness for weeks or months until death inevitably occurs. I agree we should help patients as much as possible, but there's a line where perhaps the only help we can give, and the only help the patient asks for, is a painless exit. Perhaps future drugs and treatments will eliminate the need for euthanasia, but we are not there yet.