Passive and Indirect Euthanasia

There has been much terminologic confusion about euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide.So-called passive and indirect euthanasia are misnomers and are not instances of euthanasia, and both are deemed ethical and legal.

Voluntary active euthanasia
Intentional administration of medications or other interventions to cause the patient's death with the patient's informed consent.

Involuntary active euthanasia
Intentional administration of medications or other interventions to cause the patient's death when the patient was competent to consent but did not (e.g., the patient may not have been asked)

Nonvoluntary active euthanasia
Intentional administration of medications or other interventions to cause the patient's death when the patient was incompetent and was mentally incapable of consenting (e.g., the patient might have been in a coma)

Passive euthanasia
Withholding or withdrawal of life-sustaining medical treatments from a patient to let him or her die (termination of life-sustaining treatments)

Indirect euthanasia
Administration of narcotics or other medications to relieve pain with the incidental consequence of causing sufficient respiratory depression to result in the patient's death

Physician-assisted suicide
A physician provides medications or other interventions to a patient with the understanding that the patient can use them to commit suicide