"That in all cases of hopeless and painful illness, it should be the recognized duty of the medical attendant, whenever so desired by the patient, to administer choloroform or such other anaesthetic as may by-and-bye supersede chloroform – so as to destroy consciousness at once, and put the sufferer to a quick and painless death; all needful precautions being adopted to prevent any possible abuse of such duty; and means being taken to establish, beyond the possibility of doubt or question, that the remedy was applied at the express wish of the patient."(annals.org)
—Samuel Williams (1872)
Euthanasia is a concept that has been around for ages. Euthanasia is a practice that has been around since Ancient Greece. There has always been people for and against it, because to some euthanasia is immoral, but to others it's a sympathetic act of justice.
"In 1870 Samuel Williams, a schoolteacher, initiated the contemporary euthanasia debate through a speech given at the Birmingham Speculative Club in England, which was subsequently published in a one-off publication entitled Essays of the Birmingham Speculative Club, the collected works of a number of members of an amateur philosophical society" (annals.org)
Later on, after Samuel Williams stepped his foot in the door in terms of euthanasia. "Robert Ingersoll argued for euthanasia, stating in 1894 that where someone is suffering from a terminal illness, such as terminal cancer, they should have a right to end their pain through suicide. Felix Adler offered a similar approach, although, unlike Ingersoll, Adler did not reject religion, instead arguing from an ethical framework. In 1891, Alder argued that those suffering from overwhelming pain should have the right to commit suicide, and, furthermore, that it should be permissible for a doctor to assist – thus making Adler the first "prominent American" to argue for suicide in cases where people were suffering from chronic illness."(A Merciful End: The Euthanasia Movement in Modern America)
"When the 1940's dawned, many in the euthanasia movement believed it was only a matter of time before euthanasia became legal in the United States"(A Merciful End: The Euthanasia Movement in Modern America)
picture citation in bibliography: citation number 12 and 13