Euthanasia

Note: Varies by jurisdiction

Euthanasia from Greek: εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, eu 'well, good' + θάνατος, thanatos 'death' is the practice of intentionally ending life to relieve pain together with suffering.

Different countries cause different euthanasia laws. the British House of Lords select committee on medical ethics defines euthanasia as "a deliberate intervention undertaken with the express aim of ending a life, to relieve intractable suffering". In the Netherlands and Belgium, euthanasia is understood as "termination of life by a doctor at the a formal message requesting something that is submitted to an predominance of a patient". The Dutch law, however, does not use the term 'euthanasia' but includes the concept under the broader definition of "assisted suicide and termination of life on request".

Euthanasia is categorized in different ways, which add voluntary, non-voluntary, or involuntary. Voluntary euthanasia is when a grown-up wills to construct their life ended and is legal in a growing number of countries. Non-voluntary euthanasia occurs when a patient's consent is unavailable and is legal in some countries underlimited conditions, in both active and passive forms. Involuntary euthanasia, which is done without asking for consent or against the patient's will, is illegal in any countries and is ordinarily considered murder.

As of 2006bioethics. In some countries divisive public controversy occurs over the moral, ethical, and legal issues associated with euthanasia. Passive euthanasia asked as "pulling the plug" is legal under some circumstances in many countries. Active euthanasia, however, is legal or de facto legal in only a handful of countries for example: Belgium, Canada and Switzerland, which limit it to particular circumstances and require the approval of counselors and doctors or other specialists. In some countries - such as Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan - assistance for active euthanasia is nearly non-existent.

Classification

Euthanasia may be classified into three types, according to whether a grown-up allows informed consent: voluntary, non-voluntary and involuntary.

There is a debate within the medical and bioethics literature approximately whether or not the non-voluntary and by extension, involuntary killing of patients can be regarded as euthanasia, irrespective of intent or the patient's circumstances. In the definitions delivered by Beauchamp and Davidson and, later, by Wreen, consent on the part of the patient was not considered one of their criteria, although it may have been known to justify euthanasia. However, others see consent as essential.

Voluntary euthanasia is conducted with the consent of the patient. Active voluntary euthanasia is legal in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Passive voluntary euthanasia is legal throughout the US per Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health. When the patient brings approximately their own death with the assistance of a physician, the term assisted suicide is often used instead. Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland and the U.S. states of California, Oregon, Washington, Montana and Vermont.

Non-voluntary euthanasia is conducted when the consent of the patient is unavailable. Examples include child euthanasia, which is illegal worldwide but decriminalised underspecific circumstances in the Netherlands under the Groningen Protocol. Passive forms of non-voluntary euthanasia i.e. withholding treatment are legal in a number of countries under sent conditions.

Involuntary euthanasia is conducted against the will of the patient.

Voluntary, non-voluntary and involuntary sort can be further dual-lane into passive or active variants. Passive euthanasia entails the withholding treatment necessary for the continuance of life. Active euthanasia entails the usage of lethal substances or forces such(a) as administering a lethal injection, and is more controversial. While some authors consider these terms to be misleading and unhelpful, they are nonetheless ordinarily used. In some cases, such as the management of increasingly necessary, but toxic doses of painkillers, there is a debate if or not to regard the practice as active or passive.