Which form of end-of-life care involves a doctor providing the means for someone to end their own life?

• A. Slippery Slope
• B. Passive Euthanasia
• C. Physician Assisted Suicide
• D. Living Will

Answer: (C)

Providing the means for a patient to end their life is physician-assisted suicide. In this arrangement, the doctor supplies the lethal means—such as a prescribed medication—but the patient carries out the final act themselves. This is distinct from euthanasia, where the physician directly administers the lethal dose. Passive euthanasia involves withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment, letting death occur as a result of the illness rather than an act to end life. A living will is a document that states a person’s preferences for medical care if they become unable to communicate, not a method of ending life. The slippery slope argument discusses concerns about how policies might lead to broader, less controlled applications, rather than describing an end-of-life care practice.