Running head: EUTHANASIA AND ITS TYPES 1

Euthanasia and Its Types

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The term Euthanasia means the painless killing of a patient who is suffering from an

incurable and painful disease or in condition where the comma is irreversible in nature. It is

allowed in some countries whereas; in some countries it is considered as a crime in medical field.

Historically, the word euthanasia means the good and painless death. It can be said a death

without pain and suffering and it is also named as the mercy killing. Euthanasia is having

different types and these types are with different legal and cultural issues in different areas.

Math & Chaturvedi, have explained that the word euthanasia is derived from Greek word that

means good death. Euthanasia encompasses various dimensions, from active (introducing

something to cause death) to passive (withholding treatment or supportive measures); voluntary

(consent) to involuntary (consent from guardian) and physician assisted (where physician's

prescribe the medicine and patient or the third party administers the medication to cause death

(2012). Thus, the euthanasia is categorized as Active and passive euthanasia, Voluntary and

involuntary euthanasia, indirect and assisted suicide.

Firstly, the active and passive euthanasia where the direct, deliberate and indirect actions

are taken for the patients and they are allowed to die. In active euthanasia a person directly and

deliberately causes the patient's death. In passive euthanasia they don't directly take the patient's

life, they just allow them to die. The passive is further classified as by the withdrawing treatment

and with-holding the treatment. In withdrawing the treatment the medical professionals stop the

machine that is keeping the patient alive whereas, in the with-holding the medical professionals

don’t carry the procedure or surgery that can extend the life with the incurable disease. Secondly,

the voluntary and involuntary euthanasia are considered as very important. Voluntary is that in

which the death is carried out with the consent of the patient whereas; the non-voluntary is

brought when the patient is un-conscious. According to Reis de Castro et al., (2016), according
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to the patient’s consents euthanasia is classified as non-voluntary and voluntary. In the first one

the patient’s will about death is not known whereas, in the latter the patient’s wish about suicide

and mercy death is fulfilled and the patient is responsible for the final actions of his/her (p. 356).

Non-voluntary euthanasia is also include those cases where the patient is a child and

mentally and emotionally not well and not able to take any kind of decision regarding death and

suicide. Thirdly, the indirect euthanasia is also a type of euthanasia that is involving those

medications which are to reduce pain and these medications speed up the death process of the

patient. As this is not directly to kill the patient therefore, most of the people don’t consider it

illegal and accept it as a better way to relieve the patient’s suffering and pain. Lastly, the assisted

suicide is something that needs assistance from a health care professional. The patients and

persons who are suffering from the issue ask for help to get death. This is as the injections and

getting the medications and keeping those medications in their reach so they can use those

medications for their death.

Banović & Turanjanin, (2014) have explained that Euthanasia, i.e. mercy killing is both

historical and contemporary problem of medicine, law and in religions. There are number of

school of thoughts regarding mercy killing and assisted suicides around the globe. Moreover,

around the globe there are three groups which see the euthanasia in three different ways. On

group of countries think that this is murder whereas; the second group of people view that the

euthanasia is privileged murder. On the other hand, there are some countries where the

euthanasia is decriminalized upon fulfillment of prescribed conditions. In Islamic countries,

euthanasia is prohibited, both in the East and in the Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is seen as non-

Islamic and it is equalized to the murder (p. 1316). Ethically and cultural it is not considered a

good deed even it is to relieve the suffering of the patient and family.
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In Christianity, and Islam euthanasia is considered as murder and sin and not allowed

even medically and ethically as well. Legally it is considered as the killing of a person and it is a

murder. The religious followers consider it as a murder and they think that God is the creator of

everything and He can cure, give life and have the right to take the breaths. This religious

opposition to euthanasia is based on the claim that only someone who is not religious can

consider euthanasia as one of the options in the life, but it cannot be for the people who have a

religious orientation.

There are number of cases which are the true picture of euthanasia and its

implementation. In Pakistan the cancer patients (particularly with bone cancer) at their last stage

suffer from the severe pain which cannot be settled and relieved even with the continuous

infusion of Morphine Sulphate. At this stage the patients and their families request to the

physicians to give medications which can lead towards the death. Similarly, in the US and UK

the patient on the ventilator support is withdrawn from the ventilator if the patient is in such

condition where he/she can’t be reversed. This causes brain death and then the physical death of

the patient.

In nutshell, it can be said that there are different view about the euthanasia around the

globe and it is present in different types i.e. active and passive, voluntary and non-voluntary,

indirect and assisted suicide. Furthermore, it is not legal and ethical in the Islam and Christianity

and it is considered as murder. However, it is also important to see whether the suffering of the

people can be reduced with this act around the globe.

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References

BANOVIĆ, B., & TURANJANIN, V. (2014). Euthanasia: Murder or Not: A Comparative

Approach. Iranian J Publ Health, 43(2), 1316-1323. Retrieved from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4441884/pdf/IJPH-43-1316.pdf

Math, S. B., & Chaturvedi, S. K. (2012). Euthanasia: Right to life vs right to die. Indian Journal

of Medical Research, 136(6), 899–902. Retrieved from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612319/

Reis de Castro, M. P., Antunes, G. C., Pacelli Marcon, L. M., Andrade, L. S., Rückl, S., &

Ângelo Andrade, V. L. (2016). Euthanasia and assisted suicide in western countries: a

systematic review. Revista Bioética, 24(2), 355-367. Retrieved from

http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1983-80422016242136