Point/Counterpoint: The right to die The word euthanasia translates from Greek roots as “good death.” The Oxford English Dictionary states that the original meaning, “a gentle and easy death,” has evolved to mean “the actions of inducing a gentle and easy death.” The arguments against euthanasia include religious and ethical beliefs about the sanctity of life. St. Thomas Aquinas condemned suicide because it goes against one’s obligations to oneself, the community, and God.