Which term describes allowing death to occur by withholding or withdrawing treatment in a terminally ill patient?

• A. Active Euthanasia
• B. Physician Assisted Suicide
• C. Hospice
• D. Passive Euthanasia

Answer: (D)

Letting death occur by not starting or stopping life-sustaining treatments is passive euthanasia. The key idea is that no lethal action is taken; instead, care is withheld or withdrawn, allowing the underlying illness to progress. This differs from active euthanasia, where a deliberate action is taken to cause death; from physician-assisted suicide, where the physician provides the means but the patient administers it themselves; and from hospice, which focuses on comfort and support rather than an explicit intention to end life. Withholding or withdrawing examples include not starting a ventilator or stopping a feeding tube, letting the body progress toward natural death.