The word euthanasia comes from two Greek words, “eu,” which means good or easy, and “Thanatos,” which means death, giving the word a literal meaning of “good death.” It is referred to as the act of terminating life in cases where there is no scope of recovery. The World Medical Association considers euthanasia as a “deliberation action with a clear intention to end another person’s life” under the conditions where the patient is incurring a terminal illness and has poor or no prognosis. Euthanasia can be classified based on how it is performed, and consent received to perform it, as depicted in figure 1. Figure 1.
Types of euthanasia Active euthanasia: It is the act of painlessly putting the patient to death for merciful reasons. This is not legally permitted. The doctor administers a lethal medication or injection to hasten the process. Passive euthanasia: It speeds up the…
