In ancient Greek, the term euthanatos meant "easy death". Today euthanasia (安乐死) generally refers to mercy killing, the voluntary (自愿) ending of the life of someone who is terminally ill. Like abortion, euthanasia has become a legal, medical, and moral issue over which opinion is divided.
Euthanasia can be either active or passive. Active euthanasia means that a physician or other medical personnel takes an action that will result in death, such as giving an overdose of deadly medicine. Passive euthanasia means letting a patient die for lack of treatment, or stopping the treatment that has begun. Examples of passive euthanasia include taking patients off a breathing machine or removing other life-support systems. Stopping the food supply is also considered passive.
A good deal of the debate about mercy killing originates from the decision-making process. Who decides whether a patient is to die This issue has not been solved legally in the United States. The matter is left to state law, which usually allows the physician in charge to suggest the option of death to a patient’s relatives, especially if the patient is brain dead. In an attempt to make decisions about when their own lives should end, several terminally ill patients in the early 1990s used a controversial suicide device, developed by Dr. Jack Kevorkian, to end their lives.In parts of Europe, the decision-making process has become very flexible. Even in cases where the patients are not brain dead, patients have been put to death without their approval at the request of relatives or at the suggestion of physicians. Many cases of passive euthanasia involve old people or newborn infants. The principle justifying this practice is that such individuals have a "life not worthy of life".In countries where passive euthanasia is not legal, the court systems have proved very tolerant in dealing with medical personnel who practice it. In Japan, for example, if physicians follow certain guidelines they may actively carry out mercy killings on hopelessly ill people. Courts have also been somewhat tolerant of friends or relatives who have assisted terminally ill patients to die.
According to the passage, who has/have the legal responsibility to decide on euthanasia().
A. The national or state government.
B. The patient’s relatives.
C. Physicians in charge of the patient.
D. The answer varies from country to country.
参考答案：D
解析：
本文答案可由第三、四、五段的论述得出。首先找到问题出处：第三段第二句“Who decides whether a patient is to die"，紧接着论述了这一问题在美国的情况，指出“This issue has not been solved legally in the United States．(在美国，这个问题在法律上还没解决。)”而第四段介绍了在欧洲的情况：In parts of Europe，the decision-making process has become very flexible．(在欧洲的部分国家，这一决定的程序则非常灵活。)而第五段又介绍了在其他一些国家的情况。由此可推出对这个问题，不同的国家有所不同，即选D。