Euthanasia

Abstract

‘Euthanasia’ is derived from Greek words meaning ‘dying well’ or ‘good death.’ First used by Greek poets from about 400 BC onward, the term was adopted by Greek and Roman philosophers and historians to denote a death that comes quickly and without great and prolonged suffering. Today, the term is primarily used for interventions by others to ease death. The article addresses both questions in the ethics of euthanasia and questions concerning the evolving research on the practice of euthanasia, mainly in European countries. In order to structure the discussion, it distinguishes five meanings of ‘euthanasia’: (1) caring for the dying by relieving suffering psychologically and medically, and by spiritual assistance; (2) letting die suffering patients by not artificially prolonging life; (3) actively hastening death to shorten suffering by assisting patient suicide, by voluntary or nonvoluntary active euthanasia; (4) withholding life-sustaining treatment from a patient in a persistent state of unconsciousness; and (5) ending the lives of children and adults seen as a burden to society or to their families.