Does the distinction between killing and letting die justify some forms of euthanasia?

Nurses will often be at the forefront in a health care team which decides that it is ethically acceptable to allow a particular patient to die but the possibility of actually killing another patient who requests his own death is met with heartfelt resistance. This paper explores the distinction between killing and letting die and the connection these arguments have with justifications for euthanasia. Two practical examples of killing and letting die are analysed. Various issues are examined including the active-passive distinction, the difference between causing and preventing a death and the probability of outcome. Justifications for euthanasia are then revisited and some concluding remarks made.