Differentiate between active and passive euthanasia. ANSWER:

Euthanasia can be carried out in an active or a passive way. In active euthanasia, a person's life is deliberately ended. This may be based upon a person's written wishes expressed in a living will or by a person who has the legal authority to make such decisions, as in the case of a health care power of attorney. Active euthanasia usually involves situations in which a person is in a persistent vegetative state or is in the final stages of a terminal disease. An example of active euthanasia would be administering a lethal dose of medication to end someone's life. Passive euthanasia involves withholding treatment. Examples of this are when food is withheld, a surgery is not performed, or a treatment is not administered. Some ethicists and medical professionals do not distinguish between the two types of euthanasia. The European Association of Palliative Care claims that passive euthanasia is a contradiction in terms because the ending of life is by definition active.