Voluntary euthanasia

Voluntary euthanasia is the ending of a person's life at their request in order to relieve them of suffering. Voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (PAS) have been the focus of intense debate in recent years.

Some forms of voluntary euthanasia are legal in Australia,^[1][2] Belgium,^[3] Canada,^[4] Colombia,^[5] Luxembourg,^[6] the Netherlands,^[3] New Zealand^[7] and Spain.^[8]

Voluntary refusal of food and fluids (VRFF) (also called voluntarily stopping eating and drinking, or VSED) or Patient Refusal of Nutrition and Hydration (PRNH) is bordering on euthanasia. Some authors classify it as a form of passive euthanasia,^[9] while others treat it separately because it is treated differently from legal point of view and often perceived as a more ethical option.^[10] VRFF is sometimes suggested as a legal alternative to euthanasia in jurisdictions disallowing euthanasia.^{[citation needed]}