
The term “euthanasia” is composed of two ancient Greek words, “thantos” and “eu” where “thantos” stands for death and “eu” stands for good (Singh 485). With this being said, euthanasia means to put an end to life in a painless way. In “San Junipero,” euthanasia has a beneficial use that enables people to “cross-over” after death. In this particular episode, the process of “crossing-over” means to sign their consciousness over after death. After living a full life, an individual has the option to move on to living an intriguing afterlife, or to be at rest. The two protagonists, Yorkie and Kelly, both make the decision to use euthanasia to cross-over into the afterlife in a city called San Junipero.

Usually, euthanasia is requested mainly on three different occasions: At birth, at the terminal stage, and when a person is severely compromised due to brain damage or an unexpected accident (Singh 486). At the time of birth, euthanasia is commonly requested if an infant is physically or mentally ill. At the terminal stage, a patient may be appealed to assisted death due to their terminal illness. Euthanasia is also normally requested after having severe brain damage from a sudden tragic event. In many situations and to many different people, euthanasia can be viewed as both acceptable and unacceptable. In good cases, euthanasia was originally used to provide pain relief to dying patients. On the other hand, euthanasia also has a predominately dark history. Dating back to the 19th century, it has been thought of as a quick and easy way to put an end to an individual’s life, otherwise known as a form of suicide. “Many of the early proponents of this new understanding of euthanasia not only supported suicide and assisted suicide, but also favored killing people with disabilities without their consent” (Weikart 30). Ernst Haeckel, a leading Darwinian biologist, made the worlds’ very first serious proposal to kill people with disabilities in Germany (Weikart 30). In Haeckle’s book on biological evolution, The Natural History of Creation, he expresses his fear of humanity’s evolutionary process being subverted by the offspring of the weak and the sick (Weikart 30). He believes that the power of medicine will allow the weak and the sick to survive which will affect the future society. To prevent this from happening, he suggested things such as infanticide. “By 1904, Haeckel was publicly supporting the killing of disabled adults” (Weikart 30). He believed that the decisions on who should and should not be killed should be left up to the doctors, not the patients. Some people also believe that assisted suicide went against the Christian beliefs. Euthanasia was once used for various reasons that were considered cruel and viewed as disgraceful. 

In the episode of San Junipero, Yorkie and Kelly “cross-over” to live their ideal afterlife. San Junipero is a virtual reality paradise, where you can live the dream life of partying through every era without fear of sickness or death. In this particular episode, euthanasia was used more-so in a positive way. During the final stages of life, the living gets a few hours a week as a “trial” of the life in San Junipero before signing their consciousness over after death. In the episode, Kelly, who only visits San Junipero, admits she only wants to have fun during her time in San Junipero because in reality she is dying. Doctor have told her that she only has 3 months to live, 6 months ago. Yorkie, on the other hand, is sure she wants to live in San Junipero full-time. In order to have consent for the use of euthanasia, authorization from a relative has to take place. Yorkie’s nurse, Greg, agrees to marry her so that he can sign her form authorizing her euthanasia. Instead, the elderly Kelly comes to visit her in the hospital with the intentions of getting Yorkie to marry her instead. She then offers to sign the forms for her, so that Yorkie can live in paradise, being married to the one she truly loves. After passing over, over time Yorkie is living the dream life she had always desired to have. She drives a flashy sports car, she does not need the assistance of her glasses, and she seems to finally be at peace. It is as if she is living for the first time. Kelly, reappears in Yorkie’s afterlife soon after her death. The afterlife that Kelly and Yorkie live are the lives that they both longed for.

The playlist of San Junipero has a very important role for each part of the episode. During the ending sequence in the last few minutes of the episode, Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven is a Place on Earth” is played during Kelly and Yorkie’s ride off to a happy ending. Instead of focusing on the characters’ deaths, as in most movies, San Junipero is giving us a look at the life after death. It does not stop at the end of life, it carries on to show that the afterlife you have after death, is even better than the life you have as a physical form on earth. Hence, the name of the song being played, “Heaven on Earth.” 

Although the use of euthanasia has a horrid history, it can be extremely beneficial. The use of euthanasia, in this instance, is used solely for the better. This episode does not focus on the harshness of death and does not perceive death as being a bad thing. It shows the positive sides of death. San Junipero focuses on the “perfect” life one can have after death. The afterlife is brought about in a happy, easy-going, and fun type of way. In the episode they use euthanasia to hasten the process of dying, so that the individual can live the ideal fantasy life they want to live. With this being said, euthanasia is definitely being used in this episode as a positive concept. 
