Euthanasia and assisted suicide are legal in a few places worldwide, including parts of the US and some European countries. Euthanasia involves a physician directly administering life-ending treatment, while assisted suicide involves a physician providing a patient with life-ending drugs for self-administration. There are different types of euthanasia depending on patient consent and arguments both for and against allowing the practices on moral and ethical grounds. Euthanasia and assisted suicide remain illegal in most countries including the Philippines.

1. Euthanasia &
Assisted Suicide

2. Understanding the Issue
• Euthanasia is from the Greek “Eu”
meaning “goodly or well” and
“Thanatos” meaning death.
• During the time of the ancient Greek
and Roman civilizations, euthanasia
or ‘mercy killing’ was allowed if and
only if the person concerned no
longer cared for his own life.

3. Where are euthanasia and assisted
suicide legal?
• Oregon, Washington, Montana,
the Netherlands, Belgium and
Luxembourg are the only
jurisdictions in the world where
laws specifically permit
euthanasia or assisted suicide.

4. • Note: On May 20, 2013, doctor-
prescribed suicide became a legal
“medical treatment” in Vermont.

5. • Oregon and Washington passed
laws and Montana’s Supreme
Court determined that assisted
suicide is a medical treatment.

6. • The Netherlands, Belgium and
Luxembourg permit both
euthanasia and assisted suicide.
Although euthanasia and assisted
suicide are illegal in Switzerland,
assisted suicide is penalized only
if it is carried out “from selfish
motives.”

7. Euthanasia
Voluntary
InVoluntary
non-
Voluntary
actIVe
passIVe
Assisted Suicide
•pHysIcIan-
assIsteD
suIcIDe

8. EUTHANASIA
• The act of putting to death silently or
allowing to die.

9. Types of Euthanasia
♦ Voluntary: The patient is competent
enough to request for an euthanasia from
the doctor.
♦ Involuntary: The patient who is
competent enough is not consulted before
the act.
♦ Non-voluntary: The patient is not
competent enough to make the decision
or request.

10. Difference between active
and passive euthanasia
Active
euthanasia
• Active euthanasia
entails the use of
lethal substances
or forces, such as
giving a lethal
injection, to kill
and is the most
controversial
passive
euthanasia
• Passive
euthanasia entails
the withholding of
common
treatments, such
as antibiotics,
necessary for the
continuance of

11. Euthanasia
For Euthanasia
• It is the lesser evil thing to do
• We should try our best to end
suffering
• God is benevolent and would
understand why we try to end
peoples suffering in the form
of Euthanasia
• We have free will and are
allowed to use it for good
Against Euthanasia
• “Thou shalt not kill”
• It is murder
• God has a plan for all of us
• We are putting ourselves
on par with God
• We all need to take up our
cross, and should not want
to die at the first sign of
suffering

12. • Euthanasia and Assisted
Suicide in the Philippines
are not yet legal.

13. Assisted Suicide
Being put to death by another
through mercifull painless means
upon the patient’s request.

14. PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED
SUICIDE
Suicide by a patient facilitated
by means or information (as a
drug prescription or indication
of the lethal dosage) provided
by a physician who is aware of
how the patient intends to use
such means or information.

15. What is the difference
between euthanasia and
assisted suicide?
• One way to distinguish them is
to look at the last act – the act
without which death would not
occur.

16. • Using this distinction, if a
third party performs the last
act that intentionally causes
a patient’s death,
euthanasia has occurred.

17. • For example, giving a
patient a lethal injection or
putting a plastic bag over
her head to suffocate her
would be considered
euthanasia.

18. • On the other hand, if the person
who dies performs the last act,
assisted suicide has taken place.
Thus it would be assisted suicide
if a person swallows an overdose
of drugs that has been provided
by a doctor for the purpose of
causing death.

19. • It would also be assisted
suicide if a patient pushes a
switch to trigger a fatal
injection after the doctor has
inserted an intravenous needle
into the patient’s vein.

20. • How can we hurry our death, just to
avoid suffering? 1 Cor. 10:13; 2 Cor.
1:3-5
–When we don’t know what the future
holds!
–When our suffering may be allowed for
our benefit and those around us!
–Life comes from God, to take it is wrong.
– Only God has the supreme authority to
take it. Acts 17:25, 28; Job 1:20-21

21. –Human life is sacred because we’re
made in God’s image. Genesis 9:5-
6
–Suicide in general is an act of
murder which is immoral. Exodus
20:13 “shall not murder”
–Our bodies belong to God, not
us.1Cor.6:19-20;
Rom. 14:7-8; 2 Cor. 5:15; Phil.
1:21-24

22. The scissors and
the cutting of the
rose are symbolic.
If you would mind
cutting the beautiful
flower, would you
not think twice
before ending a
life???

23. The choice is
yours. Support
it or not..

24. Prepared by:
Fherlyn V. Cialbo
Jean Marie D. Lacson