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External Websites
- Humanities LibreTexts - Euthanasia
- University of Missouri School of Medicine - Center for Health Ethics - Euthanasia
- National Library of Medicine - Culturally sanctioned suicide: Euthanasia, seppuku, and terrorist martyrdom
- Academia - Euthanasia, or Mercy Killing
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Voluntary Euthanasia
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- euthanasia - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
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While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
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Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
External Websites
- Humanities LibreTexts - Euthanasia
- University of Missouri School of Medicine - Center for Health Ethics - Euthanasia
- National Library of Medicine - Culturally sanctioned suicide: Euthanasia, seppuku, and terrorist martyrdom
- Academia - Euthanasia, or Mercy Killing
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Voluntary Euthanasia
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- euthanasia - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
Also known as: mercy killing
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: •Article History
- Also called:
- mercy killing
- Key People:
- Jack Kevorkian
- Peter Singer
- Related Topics:
- homicide
- suicide
- physician-assisted suicide
- On the Web:
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Voluntary Euthanasia (May 29, 2024)
See all related content →
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euthanasia, act or practice of painlessly putting to death persons suffering from painful and incurable disease or incapacitating physical disorder or allowing them to die by withholding treatment or withdrawing artificial life-support measures. Because there is no specific provision for it in most legal systems, it is usually regarded as either suicide (if performed by the patient himself) or murder (if performed by another). Physicians may, however, lawfully decide not to prolong life in cases of extreme suffering, and they may administer drugs to relieve pain even if this shortens the patient’s life. In the late 20th century, several European countries had special provisions in their criminal codes for lenient sentencing and the consideration of extenuating circ*mstances in prosecutions for euthanasia.
The opinion that euthanasia is morally permissible is traceable to Socrates, Plato, and the Stoics. It is rejected in traditional Christian belief, chiefly because it is thought to contravene the prohibition of murder in the Ten Commandments. The organized movement for legalization of euthanasia commenced in England in 1935, when C. Killick Millard founded the Voluntary Euthanasia Legalisation Society (later called the Euthanasia Society). The society’s bill was defeated in the House of Lords in 1936, as was a motion on the same subject in the House of Lords in 1950. In the United States the Euthanasia Society of America was founded in 1938.
More From Britannicaethics: Abortion, euthanasia, and the value of human lifeThe first countries to legalize euthanasia were the Netherlands in 2001 and Belgium in 2002. In 1997 Oregon became the first state in the United States to decriminalize physician-assisted suicide; opponents of the controversial law, however, attempted to have it overturned. In 2009 the Supreme Court of South Korea recognized a “right to die with dignity” in its decision to approve a request by the family of a brain-dead woman that she be removed from life-support systems.
The potential of modern medical practice to prolong life through technological means has provoked the question of what courses of action should be available to the physician and the family in cases of extreme physical or emotional suffering, especially if the patient is incapable of choice. Passively doing nothing to prolong life or withdrawing life-support measures has resulted in criminal charges being brought against physicians; on the other hand, the families of comatose and apparently terminal patients have instituted legal action against the medical establishment to make them stop the use of extraordinary life support.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn.