High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Voluntary euthanasia (from the Greek meaning "good death": -, eu- (well or good) + , thanatos (death)) refers to the practice of ending a life in a painless manner. Voluntary euthanasia (VE) and physician-assisted suicide (PAS) have been the focus of great controversy in recent years.As of 2009, some forms of voluntary euthanasia are legal in Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands Switzerland, and the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington.