The act or practice of, for reasons of mercy, deliberately and painlessly killing persons or animals who suffer from a painful and incurable disease or condition, or who are aged and helpless. Today's euthanasia generally refers to mercy killing, the voluntary ending of the life of someone who is terminally or hopelessly ill. Like abortion, euthanasia has become a legal, medical, and ethical issue over which opinion is divided.
Euthanasia can be either active or passive.
Active euthanasia means that a physician or other medical personnel takes a deliberate action that will induce death, such as administering an overdose of morphine, insulin, or barbiturates, followed by an injection of curare. Passive euthanasia means letting a patient die for lack of treatment, or suspending treatment that has begun. Ethical, Clinical and Legal Perspectives . The Slippery Slope from Assisted Suicide to Legalized Murder . Click here for more related books .