Involuntary euthanasia is best described as

• A. Bringing about someone's death against her will or without asking for her consent although she is competent to decide
• B. Euthanasia performed when a patient actively requests it
• C. Withholding life-sustaining treatment
• D. Euthanasia performed when patients are not competent to decide for themselves

Answer: (A)

Involuntary euthanasia means ending someone’s life without their consent, even though they are capable of deciding for themselves. It centers on a lack of consent from a competent person, making the act ethically and legally unacceptable in most contexts. The description fits because it involves bringing about death against her will while she could decide otherwise.

Why the other options don’t fit: the scenario of someone actively requesting euthanasia describes voluntary euthanasia. Withholding life-sustaining treatment is not euthanasia—it’s letting a natural death occur, often referred to as letting die. Euthanasia when patients are not competent to decide for themselves describes non-voluntary euthanasia, not involuntary, since there is no consent due to the patient’s lack of decision-making capacity.