Euthanasia can be voluntary, involuntary, active or passive. It is illegal in most countries, but some have legalized or decriminalized voluntary euthanasia. Involuntary euthanasia is performed without consent, while non-voluntary is performed against the patient’s will. Active euthanasia involves actions to end life, while passive involves withholding life-saving treatments.
Euthanasia can be broadly defined as the ending of a patient’s life at his own request or out of feelings of mercy. The types are classified according to two main considerations: the degree of consent from the patient and the way in which the procedure is carried out. Euthanasia can be voluntary, involuntary or involuntary and can be an active or passive procedure. Many legal systems around the world treat all forms as criminal homicide. There are, however, some places where the legality depends on its type.
When euthanasia takes place at the explicit request of a patient, we speak of voluntary euthanasia. Some governments have made this form legal or, if not completely legal, it has been decriminalized. In some countries, voluntary euthanasia is classified as homicide, but if a doctor can meet certain legal requirements, it is not considered criminal homicide and will not be prosecuted. In other places, physician-assisted suicide is not classified as euthanasia, and doctors are not prosecuted if the procedure is performed as expected.
Involuntary euthanasia is when a person is unable to give their consent to the procedure, such as when they are unconscious, in a coma or legally incompetent. It is also referred to as non-voluntary when a person has previously expressed his wish to die under specific circumstances but cannot speak for himself at that moment. Children are generally perceived as legally incompetent – for example, children cannot sign legal contracts – and this logic also applies in the case of euthanasia. Child euthanasia is held internationally illegal in almost all cases, although some places may specify particular circumstances in which it is permitted.
Involuntary euthanasia is sometimes mistakenly confused with involuntary euthanasia, which is distinct. The term involuntary means that the act is performed without the patient’s consent, and involuntary means that it is performed against the patient’s express will. Against all forms “slippery slope” arguments are often made on the assumption that legalizing one form of it may one day lead to cases of involuntary euthanasia.
In terms of procedural distinctions, there are two types: active and passive. Active euthanasia involves actions taken to end the life of another, such as the administration of a lethal substance. Passive euthanasia occurs when life-saving actions or treatments are willfully withheld. In many parts of the United States and other countries, it is legally acceptable for a physician to grant a patient’s request to cease use of life-saving treatments.
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