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KMID : 1172020000010010057
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Journal of Korean Bioethics Association
2000 Volume.1 No. 1 p.57 ~ p.75
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Euthanasia : its Definition, Classification, and Ethical Justification
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Kim Sang-Deug
Sohn Myong-Sei
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Abstract
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Nowadays, the most important question arising in the medical situation is not whether euthanasia is ethically acceptable, but what are the acceptable guidelines for euthanasia. In order to determine this acceptable guidelines, we reviewed the definition and classification of euthanasia in the ethical context. After defining the broad of euthanasia in the ethical context, we classified and discussed on different types of euthanasia according to patient’s consent, types of practice, and causal relation between practice and death. This study did not apply the idea of action/non-action from previous ethics studies into euthanasia, but rather we discussed on and analysed euthanasia according to types of practice and cause of death. As a result, we developed the acceptable guideline of euthanasia: (1) there must be the patient’s own voluntary consent, (2) advanced directives or agreement of euthanasia ethics committee can be considered as patient’s voluntary consent, (3) physician-assisted suicide is a kind of euthanasia and must be treated case by case, (4) distinguishing active/passive euthanasia is not meaningful in the ethical context, (5) indirect euthanasia, whether active or passive, it is acceptable ethically, and (6) except for special cases, direct euthanasia is not acceptable.
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KEYWORD
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euthanasia, indirect euthanasia, direct euthanasia
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