Euthanesia
THE DEFINITION OF EUTHANASIA
The word euthanasia is derived from the Greek word “euthanatos” meaning “well death” and originally referred to intentional mercy killing. In the modern context euthanasia is limited to the killing of patients by doctors at the request of the patient in order to free him of excruciating pain or from terminal illness. When medical advances made prolonging of the lives of dying or comatose patients possible, the term euthanasia was also applied to omission to prevent death.
Euthanasia may be classified as active and passive or alternatively as voluntary, non-voluntary and involuntary. Active euthanasia involves painlessly putting individuals to death for merciful reasons, as when a doctor administers a lethal dose of medication to a patient. Passive euthanasia involves not doing something to prevent death, as when doctors refrain from using devices necessary to keep alive a terminally ill patient or a patient in a persistent vegetative state. In voluntary euthanasia, a person asks for death (by either active or passive euthanasia). Non-voluntary euthanasia refers to ending the life of a person who is not mentally competent, such as a comatose patient, to make an informed request for death. In addition there is another category of involuntary euthanasia. This is said to occur when a patient is killed against his express will.
It is important that euthanasia is not confused with assisted suicide. The latter involves a patient’s voluntarily bringing about his or her own death with the assistance of another person, typically a physician. In this case, the act is a suicide (intentional self-inflicted death), because the patient actually causes his or her own death. Thus, while in assisted suicide the doctor makes available to the patient the means by which he can kill himself, in euthanasia the doctor himself (by act or omission) kills the patient. The issue of assisted suicide is closely related to that of euthanasia because it also
The word euthanasia is derived from the Greek word “euthanatos” meaning “well death” and originally referred to intentional mercy killing. In the modern context euthanasia is limited to the killing of patients by doctors at the request of the patient in order to free him of excruciating pain or from terminal illness. When medical advances made prolonging of the lives of dying or comatose patients possible, the term euthanasia was also applied to omission to prevent death.
Euthanasia may be classified as active and passive or alternatively as voluntary, non-voluntary and involuntary. Active euthanasia involves painlessly putting individuals to death for merciful reasons, as when a doctor administers a lethal dose of medication to a patient. Passive euthanasia involves not doing something to prevent death, as when doctors refrain from using devices necessary to keep alive a terminally ill patient or a patient in a persistent vegetative state. In voluntary euthanasia, a person asks for death (by either active or passive euthanasia). Non-voluntary euthanasia refers to ending the life of a person who is not mentally competent, such as a comatose patient, to make an informed request for death. In addition there is another category of involuntary euthanasia. This is said to occur when a patient is killed against his express will.
It is important that euthanasia is not confused with assisted suicide. The latter involves a patient’s voluntarily bringing about his or her own death with the assistance of another person, typically a physician. In this case, the act is a suicide (intentional self-inflicted death), because the patient actually causes his or her own death. Thus, while in assisted suicide the doctor makes available to the patient the means by which he can kill himself, in euthanasia the doctor himself (by act or omission) kills the patient. The issue of assisted suicide is closely related to that of euthanasia because it also
Cited: as : (2003) PL WebJour 16 by Shreyan Kasliwal, Visit- http://www.ebc-india.com/practicallawyer/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=735&Itemid=54, last visited on 17-04-2009 [ 3 ] [ 12 ]. (1994) 3 SCC 394: 1994 SCC (Cri) 740: AIR 1994 SC 1844 [ 13 ] [ 14 ]. 1995 Cri L J 96 (Bom) [ 15 ] [ 16 ]. AIR 1996 SC 946 : (1996) 2 SCC 648 [ 17 ]