Active Euthanasia Law and Legal Definition
Active euthanasia is a type of euthanasia in which a person who is undergoing intense suffering, and who has no practical hope of recovery is induced to death. It is also known as mercy killing. Generally, a physician performs active euthanasia and carries out the final-death causing act. Active euthanasia is performed entirely voluntarily, without any reservation, external persuasion, or duress, and after prolonged and thorough deliberation. A patient undertaking active euthanasia gives full consent to the medical procedure and chooses direct injection, to be administered by a competent medical professional, in order to end with certainty any intolerable and hopelessly incurable suffering. [People v. Kevorkian, 248 Mich. App. 373, 378 (Mich. Ct. App. 2001)].
