DEFINITIONS

Euthanasia: An act, such as a lethal injection, smothering, etc., or an omission, such as withholding or withdrawal of medical treatment and/or care—including food and water—with the intention to end the life of a person so that all suffering and other difficulties may be eliminated. When requested by the person, euthanasia is a form of suicide.

Assisted Suicide: Self-killing with the assistance of another. The means and/or instructions to kill oneself are provided by another person or by an organization that promotes assisted suicide.

Physician Assisted Suicide: A physician provides a patient with the means (for example, a lethal dose of barbiturates) and/or information needed to commit suicide. The last act, e.g., ingesting the drug, is done by the patient.

M.A.I.D. (Medical Aid In Dying) is a euphemistic term for medical homicide. The proponents of euthanasia and assisted suicide use the term as well as “dignity in dying” and “compassionate solutions.”

VSED (voluntary stopping of eating and drinking): A person refuses to eat or drink in order to cause or hasten death. This is suicide. Furthermore, if a physician prescribes drugs to keep the person highly sedated while he/she starves and dehydrates to death, this is a form of assisted suicide.

Stealth Euthanasia: The intentional hastening of a patient’s death while pretending to provide appropriate treatment and care. Actions and omissions intended to cause death are hidden from those who may object, such as concerned family members.

Imposed Death: The more accurate term for ending the lives of human beings in order to eliminate their perceived suffering or to relieve others of the duty/cost of caring for them.

Conscientious Objection: When exercised by healthcare practitioners, this is a refusal to provide a legal “medical service,” such as euthanasia or assisted suicide, that conflicts with their deeply held moral convictions.