Active and Passive Euthanasia

Advocates of euthanasia and their opponents frequently explore the distinction between active and passive euthanasia. Active euthanasia is an act of killing; in contrast, passive euthanasia is the withdrawal of life sustaining treatment, or allowing a person to die. Supporters of euthanasia, generally argue that there is no morally relevant distinction between ‘active’ and ‘passive’ euthanasia, as death is the ultimate goal of both. The manner of death is what they oppose. I intend to explore the moral significance of this distinction and demonstrate that ‘passive’ euthanasia is primarily in correspondence with a patient’s right to refuse treatment, endorsing the moral permissibility of passive euthanasia only in certain circumstances. Death being a consequence of exercising this right is merely convenient to the terminally ill. I will endeavor to illustrate that there seems to be an increasing amount of social approval for our right to refuse life-sustaining treatme...