PHL 612 Lecture 8: PHL 612 - Week 8
Document Summary
Euthanasia: the deliberate act undertaken by one person with the intention of ending the life of another person in order to relieve that person"s suffering where that act is the cause of death . There are numerous philosophical distinctions which need to be considered beyond that very general characterization. The five different types of euthanasia are as follows. Voluntary euthanasia occurs when the act is preceded by desire of an individual who is able to make that choice autonomously. Non-voluntary euthanasia occurs when the individual is euthanized without consent; the individual is in some predicament which negates the ability to consciously make a decision. Involuntary euthanasia is the act which is done in contradiction to the requests of a patient. In this way, involuntary euthanasia occurs when the patient states their desire to stay alive and the choice is made in contradiction to those intentions.