JODHPUR AIIMS SNO-20…: The act of deliberately ending a person's life to relieve suffering is called?

JODHPUR AIIMS SNO-2018

Forensic Nursing & Indian laws

Easy

Appeared in: JODHPUR AIIMS SNO-2018

Explanation

Euthanasia is the practice of intentionally ending a life to relieve pain and suffering.
The term is derived from Greek, meaning 'good death,' and is also known as 'mercy killing'.
It involves another person, typically a physician, performing the act, which distinguishes it from suicide.
The core components of the definition—deliberate action, ending a life, and the motive of relieving suffering—directly match the term euthanasia.

Option A: A tort is a civil wrong that causes harm or loss, leading to legal liability. It does not involve the intentional ending of a life.
Option B: Libel is the act of publishing a false written statement that damages a person's reputation. It is a form of defamation and is unrelated to medical acts or ending a life.
Option D: Suicide is the act of intentionally taking one's own life. The key difference from euthanasia is that the act is self-inflicted, not performed by another person.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain The concept tested is the definition of euthanasia within the context of medical ethics and law as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Nurses must understand the legal and ethical boundaries of their practice. While providing comfort and palliative care is a core nursing duty, active euthanasia is illegal and against the nursing code of ethics in most countries, including India.
A nurse's primary role when a patient expresses a wish to die is to explore the reasons behind the request, manage pain and symptoms effectively, provide emotional support, and facilitate discussions with the healthcare team and family.
In India, passive euthanasia (withdrawing life support for a terminally ill patient or someone in a vegetative state) is legally permitted under strict guidelines following a Supreme Court ruling.

How to Approach the Question

First, analyze the question stem to identify the key components of the definition: 1) deliberate act, 2) ending a life, and 3) motive is to relieve suffering.
Evaluate each option against this definition.
Eliminate options that are clearly from a different domain. 'Tort' and 'Libel' are legal terms related to civil wrongs and defamation, respectively, not medical acts of ending life.
Differentiate between the remaining relevant options. 'Suicide' is ending one's own life, whereas the question implies an act done to a person.
'Euthanasia' is the term for another person ending a life to relieve suffering, which perfectly matches the definition provided in the question.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: The concept tested is the definition of euthanasia within the context of medical ethics and law.
Stem keywords: deliberately ending, person's life, relieve suffering
Lead-in keywords: is called

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E6 Nursing Fundamentals Taylor p. 955-957

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 2716-2718