Passive and active euthanasia: What is the difference?

Abstract

In order to discuss the normative aspects of euthanasia one has to clarify what is meant by active and passive euthanasia. Many philosophers deny the possibility of distinguishing the two by purely descriptive means, e.g. on the basis of theories of action or the differences between acting and omitting to act. Against this, such a purely descriptive distinction will be defended in this paper by discussing and refining the theory developed by Dieter Birnbacher in his "Tun und Unterlassen". On this basis I will suggest a new definition of active and passive euthanasia.

Attitudes of health care professionals, relatives of advanced cancer patients and public towards euthanasia and physician assisted suicide

“…Active EUT refers to the direct administration of a lethal agent to the patient by another party with a merciful intent [3,[6][7][8]. This might involve the physician injecting intravenously a quick-acting sedative followed by a paralytic agent to halt respiration.…”

Is there a moral difference between killing and letting die in healthcare?

“…He says that there is a grey area between active and passive euthanasia. 15 The example, which is one that is often cited because of its applicability to the discussion about the moral difference between allowing one to die and killing someone, is the situation with the young man on the respirator.…”

“…This is because active euthanasia involves physically pulling the plug of the respirator, which results in the death of the patient. 15 Instead, the doctor decides that when it is time to administer the required higher doses of oxygen that will allow the patient to continue to live, the doctor neglects to administer the lifesaving dose. In the mind of the doctor, he has not killed a patient; he has allowed the patient to die.…”

“…Gesang argues that both are morally equivalent because the end result in both active and passive euthanasia is the same; someone is dead. 15 Daniel Callahan states that the central argument about euthanasia is the principle of self-determination. Selfdetermination simply says that people have their own best interests in mind when deciding on matters related to their health.…”

Die richtigen Worte für medizinische Entscheidungen am Lebensende finden

“…Sie hat in der medizinethischen Literatur eine breite Diskussion mit unterschiedlichen Ausrichtungen erfahren [4][5][6][7][8]. Einerseits geht es in diesen Debatten darum, bestimmte Formen der Sterbehilfe zu rechtfertigen und von nicht legitimierbaren abzugrenzen.…”