Non-voluntary euthanasia

Non-voluntary euthanasia is euthanasia conducted when the explicit consent of the individual concerned is unavailable, such as when the person is in a persistent vegetative state, or in the case of young children.[citation needed] It contrasts with involuntary euthanasia, when euthanasia is performed against the will of the patient.[1][2]

The different possible situations considered non-voluntary euthanasia are when the decision to end the life of the patient is 1) based on what the incapacitated individual would have wanted if they could be asked, 2) based on what the decision maker would want if he or she were in the patient's place, and 3) made by a doctor based on their own criteria and reasoning.[3]

  1. ^ Perrett RW (October 1996). "Buddhism, euthanasia and the sanctity of life". J Med Ethics. 22 (5): 309–13. doi:10.1136/jme.22.5.309. PMC 1377066. PMID 8910785.
  2. ^ LaFollette, Hugh (2002). Ethics in practice: an anthology. Oxford: Blackwell. pp. 25–26. ISBN 0-631-22834-9.
  3. ^ Biggs, Hazel (2001). Euthanasia: Death with Dignity and the Law. Hart Publishing. ISBN 1-84113-091-5.

Developed by StudentB