The Ethics of Euthanasia Euthanasia, also mercy killing, practice of ending a life so as to release an individual from an incurable disease or intolerable suffering. The term is sometimes used generally to refer to an easy or painless death. Voluntary euthanasia involves a request by the dying patient or that person's legal representative. Passive or negative euthanasia involves not doing something to prevent death—that is, allowing someone to die; active or positive euthanasia involves taking deliberate action to cause a death. Euthanasia has been accepted both legally and morally in various forms in many societies. In ancient Greec