EUTHANASIA, Jithin P Anto

Euthanasia

Euthanasia is the action of directly causing the quick and painless death of a person, or omitting to prevent it when intervention was within the agent's power. It is usually understood that euthanasia is performed only with the intention of relieving suffering and pain, and where death is seen as the greater good or lesser evil so far as the patient is concerned. Euthanasia therefore is "a deliberate intervention undertaken with the express intention of ending a life, to relieve intractable suffering".

Euthanasia is categorized in differently, which include voluntary, non-voluntary, or involuntary and active or passive. Euthanasia is usually used to refer to active euthanasia. In this sense, euthanasia is usually considered to be criminal homicide, but voluntary or passive euthanasia is widely regarded as non-criminal act. The two main arguments on euthanasia are that it is either a voluntary "suicide" or an involuntary "murder". Euthanasia's original meaning had such kind of influence on the people that they considered it as 'rightful death', which otherwise is possible only by natural death.

In active euthanasia an agent intervenes to bring about someone's death in order to prevent the suffering that is making the person's life miserable to the point of being unbearable. In passive euthanasia, the means that enable life are either withheld or withdrawn, which causes death of of the person. "in both cases what is at issue is whether it is morally permissible to take or withhold-the life supporting systems which would cause death- that the death of the subject is intended(active euthanasia) or the death is foreseen, though not intended (passive euthanasia)." The defenders of passive euthanasia often argue that if there is sufficient evidence of the approval of the patient for withholding of the life supporting system or treatment, it is morally permissible, and it, in no way, constitute killing. The Utilitarians support this view. They are of the opinion that objections to euthanasia are irrational impediments to alleviating avoidable suffering. Moreover if the patient is willing, we can be sure that this would not be wrongful killing. Euthanasia can be very well opposed simply on the "curious grounds of respect for life."