Euthanasia

1 Euthanasia literally means ‘good death’; deriving from the Greek eu, meaning ‘well’ or ‘good’, and thanatos, meaning death. In contemporary usage ‘it has come to mean a death free of any anxiety and pain, often brought about through the use of medication.’ (Manning 1) 2 The term is applied to a number of different practices (Emanuel 7). The withdrawal (or withholding) of life-sustaining treatment is referred to as passive euthanasia, while the positive act of intentionally causing the death of another constitutes active euthanasia. A further distinction may be...