What Is Euthanasia?: Euthanasia, Also Called Mercy Killing, Act or Practice of Painlessly Putting

What is Euthanasia?
Euthanasia is the termination of a very sick person's life in order to relieve them of their
suffering.
A person who undergoes euthanasia usually has an incurable condition. But there are other
instances where some people want their life to be ended.
In many cases, it is carried out at the person's request but there are times when they may
be too ill and the decision is made by relatives, medics or, in some instances, the courts.
The term is derived from the Greek word euthanatos which means easy death.
Euthanasia is against the law in the UK where it is illegal to help anyone kill themselves.
Voluntary euthanasia or assisted suicide can lead to imprisonment of up to 14 years.
The issue has been at the centre of very heated debates for many years and is surrounded
by religious, ethical and practical considerations.
Killing or letting die
Euthanasia can be carried out either by taking actions, including giving a lethal injection,
or by not doing what is necessary to keep a person alive (such as failing to keep their
feeding tube going).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/euthanasia/overview/introduction.shtml
Euthanasia, also called mercy killing, act or practice of painlessly putting

to death persons suffering from painful and incurable disease or incapacitating
physical disorder or allowing them to die by withholding treatment or
withdrawing artificial life-support measures. Because there is no specific
provision for it in most legal systems, it is usually regarded as either suicide (if
performed by the patient himself) or murder (if performed by another).
Physicians may, however, lawfully decide not to prolong life in cases of
extreme suffering, and they may administer drugs to relieve pain even if this
shortens the patient’s life. In the late 20th century, several European countries
had special provisions in their criminal codes for lenient sentencing and the
consideration of extenuating circumstances in prosecutions for euthanasia.
. https://www.britannica.com/topic/euthanasia
The opinion that euthanasia is morally permissible is traceable

to Socrates, Plato, and the Stoics. It is rejected in traditional Christian belief,
chiefly because it is thought to contravene the prohibition of murder in the Ten
Commandments. The organized movement for legalization of euthanasia
commenced in England in 1935, when C. Killick Millard founded the Voluntary
Euthanasia Legalisation Society (later called the Euthanasia Society). The
society’s bill was defeated in the House of Lords in 1936, as was a motion on
the same subject in the House of Lords in 1950. In the United States the
Euthanasia Society of America was founded in 1938.
The first countries to legalize euthanasia were the Netherlands in 2001
and Belgium in 2002. In 1997 Oregon became the first state in the United
States to decriminalize physician-assisted suicide; opponents of the
controversial law, however, attempted to have it overturned. In 2009 the
Supreme Court of South Korea recognized a “right to die with dignity” in its
decision to approve a request by the family of a brain-dead woman that she
be removed from life-support systems.
Euthanasia and assisted suicide
Euthanasia is the act of deliberately ending a person's life to relieve suffering.
For example, it could be considered euthanasia if a doctor deliberately gave a patient with a
terminal illness drugs they do not otherwise need for their comfort, such as an overdose of
sedatives or muscle relaxant, with the sole aim of ending their life.
Assisted suicide is the act of deliberately assisting or encouraging another person to kill
themselves. If a relative of a person with a terminal illness obtained strong sedatives, knowing
that the person intended to use the sedatives to kill themselves, they may be considered to be
assisting suicide.
The law
Both euthanasia and assisted suicide are illegal under English law.
Assisted suicide
Assisted suicide is illegal under the terms of the Suicide Act (1961) and is punishable by
up to 14 years' imprisonment. Trying to kill yourself is not a criminal act.
Euthanasia
Depending on the circumstances, euthanasia is regarded as either manslaughter or

murder. The maximum penalty is life imprisonment.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/euthanasia-and-assisted-suicide/

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What is Euthanasia?

Killing or letting die

Euthanasia, also called mercy killing, act or practice of painlessly putting

The opinion that euthanasia is morally permissible is traceable

Euthanasia is the act of deliberately ending a person's life to relieve suffering.

Depending on the circumstances, euthanasia is regarded as either manslaughter or

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