What is physician-assisted suicide?
There are varying degrees to which a person can be involved in hastening the death of a terminally ill individual. It is important to understand the terms for and distinctions between these degrees. Euthanasia, a word that is often associated with physician-assisted suicide, is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “the act or practice of killing for reasons of mercy.” There are two types of euthanasia: passive and active. Passive euthanasia takes place when life-saving measures are withheld or withdrawn and the terminally ill person is allowed to die of natural causes. A son’s electing to take his mother off life-support machines, which leads to her death, would be an example of passive euthanasia. Today, there is little controversy and debate over passive euthanasia. The constitutional right of a patient (or if the patient is incompetent, the patient’s guardian) to refuse treatment was established in 1976 by the Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Karen Ann Quinlan. In 197
