Dr Kevin Yuill, Senior Lecturer in American History at the University of Sunderland, examined euthanasia in a talk in the North East in January.
Pro-euthanasia organisations were established in America and the United Kingdom in the 1930s, in an atmosphere where eugenics was advocated by some in the medical profession.
Death repackaged as a cure
After losing popularity due to Nazi atrocities, the 1960s saw a revival of support. The repackaging of euthanasia, coupled with the increased medicalisation of society, saw death presented as a cure for physical and even mental pain.
Modern narcissistic culture results in some individuals seeking validation for their desire to die, through state-sanctioned euthanasia or assisted suicide.
In Oregon, where assisted suicide has been legal for more than a decade, the fear of being a burden is more frequently listed as a reason for suicide than insufferable pain.
