Euthanasia: the word and the act in palliative medicine

The word 'euthanasia' has been used with a variety of meanings, all of which refer to one precise action: the killing of a suffering person. A moral evaluation of such an act can lead us either to condemn it a priori, shutting the door upon any argument, or to allow further discussion. But the issue must be discussed, starting with an analysis of the meaning of the word and then examining both whether it is justifiable or not in palliative care, and whether it is acceptable within a general medical context. This paper supports the assumption that a correct and clear-cut analysis of the word euthanasia and of the act to which the word refers can be carried out only through a debate which separates the various levels of reasoning (medical, ethical, religious, political, legal) and keeps distinct from one another.