What Is Euthanasia

SCI_405_SEC – BIO-ETHIC

Assignment: What is euthanasia (definition/s)?

Professor: Marek Suchocki

October 25, 2013

The term euthanasia has its origin in Greek, meaning good death. In itself, euthanasia is the practice or act of ending a life (of a person) either by suspending medical treatment or by administering lethal injection. For this reason, many especially secularists deem euthanasia as the most tenable way of bringing relief by alleviating pain and ending suffering.

Nevertheless, there are legal definitions and provisions, which govern the administration of euthanasia. Particularly, the British House of Lords Select Committee in charge of Medical Ethics defines euthanasia as a deliberate intervention which is undertaken with the clear intention of ending a life, with the purpose of relieving intractable suffering. In Netherlands, euthanasia is termed as the termination of life by a physician, at the request of a patient (Dearling and Irwin, 809).

The magnitude of the definition, which the House of Lords Select Committee on Medical Ethics is far reaching in that its deliberate aspect automatically, demands informed consent. Informed consent in turn elicits the attainment of the age of consent (18 years in the UK and some states in the US) and compos mentis (sound mind). The case of Mr. Tony Nicklinson, 58 aptly exemplify the extent to which informed consent goes. Nicklinson sustained a locked-in syndrome from a stroke and cannot therefore communicate. Because of this, his physician cannot grant him the wish of mercy killing. The matter went to the High Court in London where three judges ruled against his wish (Draper and Slowther, 114, 115).

According to Diaconescu, it is this aspect of informed consent, which disassociates voluntary from non-voluntary euthanasia. Since the latter does not factor informed consent, it is considered murdered and is therefore universally illegal (Diaconescu, 474).

Again, the purpose of euthanasia also...