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Euthanasia
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{{Short description|Intentionally ending a life to relieve pain and suffering}} {{About|euthanasia of humans|humane killings of other animals|Animal euthanasia|the killing of mortally wounded animals or humans|Coup de grâce|the [[Megadeth]] album|Youthanasia{{!}}''Youthanasia''}} {{pp-semi-protected|small= yes}} {{Use British English|date= August 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Euthanasia}}{{homicide}} '''Euthanasia''' (from {{langx|el|εὐθανασία|lit=good death}}: {{langx|el|εὖ|lit=well, good|translit=eu|label=none}} + {{langx|el|θάνατος|lit=death|translit=thanatos|label=none}}) is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate [[pain]] and [[suffering]].<ref>{{cite web|quotation='Euthanasia' is a compound of two Greek words – eu and thanatos meaning, literally, 'a good death'. Today, 'euthanasia' is generally understood to mean the bringing about of a good death – 'mercy killing,' where one person, A, ends the life of another person, B, for the sake of B."|url= http://www.worldrtd.net/euthanasia-fact-sheet|title= Euthanasia Fact Sheet |first1=Helga |last1=Kuhse |website= The World Federation of Right to Die Societies|access-date= 6 July 2017|url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170805150346/http://www.worldrtd.net/euthanasia-fact-sheet|archive-date= 5 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|chapter-url= http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/euthanasia-voluntary/ |title= Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy |access-date= 7 May 2019|chapter= Voluntary Euthanasia |publisher= Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University | quote = When a person performs an act of euthanasia, she brings about the death of another person because she believes the latter's present existence is so bad that he would be better off dead, or believes that unless she intervenes and ends his life, his life will very soon become so bad that he would be better off dead. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190611083952/http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/euthanasia-voluntary/ |archive-date= Jun 11, 2019 }}</ref> Different countries have different [[Legality of euthanasia|euthanasia laws]]. The British [[House of Lords]] [[Select committee (United Kingdom)|select committee]] on [[medical ethics]] defines euthanasia as "a deliberate intervention undertaken with the express intention of ending a life to relieve intractable suffering".<ref name="Harris-2001">{{Cite journal | last1 = Harris | first1 = NM. | title = The euthanasia debate | journal = J R Army Med Corps | volume = 147 | issue = 3 | pages = 367–70 |date= October 2001 | pmid = 11766225 | doi= 10.1136/jramc-147-03-22| doi-access = free }}</ref> In the [[Netherlands]] and [[Belgium]], euthanasia is understood as "termination of life by a doctor at the request of a patient".<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/health/support/terminalillness_euthanasia.shtml Euthanasia and assisted suicide] {{webarchive|url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110719071151/http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/support/terminalillness_euthanasia.shtml |date= 19 July 2011 }} ''[[BBC]]''. Last reviewed June 2011. Accessed 25 July 2011. Archived from the original</ref> The Dutch law, however, does not use the term 'euthanasia' but includes the concept under the broader definition of "assisted suicide and termination of life on request".<ref>{{cite book |last1= Carr|first1= Claudia|title= Unlocking Medical Law and Ethics|date= 2014|publisher= Routledge|isbn= 9781317743514|page= 374|edition= 2nd|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=a5SLBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT402|access-date= 2 February 2018}}</ref> Euthanasia is categorised in different ways, which include [[Voluntary euthanasia|voluntary]], [[Non-voluntary euthanasia|non-voluntary]], and [[Involuntary euthanasia|involuntary]].<ref name="BBC">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/euthanasia/overview/volinvol.shtml Voluntary and involuntary euthanasia] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110905055247/http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/euthanasia/overview/volinvol.shtml |date=5 September 2011 }} ''[[BBC]]'' Accessed 12 February 2012. Archived from the original</ref> Voluntary euthanasia is when a person wishes to have their life ended and is legal in a growing number of countries. Non-voluntary euthanasia occurs when a patient's consent is unavailable, (e.g., [[Coma|comatose]] or under a [[Vegetative state|persistent-vegetative state]],) and is legal in some countries under certain limited conditions, in both active and passive forms. Involuntary euthanasia, which is done without asking for consent or against the patient's will, is illegal in all countries and is usually considered [[murder]]. {{As of | 2006}}, euthanasia had become the most active area of research in [[bioethics]].<ref> {{Cite journal |vauthors= Borry P, Schotsmans P, Dierickx K |title= Empirical research in bioethical journals. A quantitative analysis |journal= [[J Med Ethics]] |volume= 32 |issue= 4 |pages= 240–45 |date= April 2006 |pmid= 16574880 |pmc= 2565792 |doi= 10.1136/jme.2004.011478 }} </ref> In some countries, divisive public controversy occurs over the [[Morality|moral]], ethical, and legal issues associated with euthanasia. Passive euthanasia (known as "pulling the plug") is legal under some circumstances in many countries. Active euthanasia, however, is legal or ''[[de facto]]'' legal in only a handful of countries (for example, Belgium, Canada, and Switzerland), which limit it to specific circumstances and require the approval of [[Mental health counselor|counsellors]], doctors, or other specialists. In some countries—such as Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan—support for active euthanasia is almost nonexistent.
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