DEFINITIONS

DYING WITH DIGNITY QUEENSLAND INC.

Euthanasia means gentle and easy death — bringing about of this, especially in the case of incurable
and painful disease (Concise Oxford Dictionary).

Voluntary Euthanasia therefore means a quick and peaceful death brought about at the express wish
of that person.

NB: the withdrawing or withholding of life-sustaining treatment is not euthanasia. This is carried out in agreement with the doctor, once it is determined that further treatment would be intolerable to the patient whose condition is irreversible and who desires a quick and peaceful death. This solution has problems however, in that withdrawal of treatment often does not lead to a gentle and easy death (the definition of euthanasia) and does not reflect the wishes of the patient, particularly if he/she is unconscious or deemed mentally unfit to make a choice.

Medically Assisted Suicide is the provision of medication to enable patients to bring about their own
death quickly and peacefully under medical supervision.

Physician assisted dying is where doctors provide a prescription for a terminally ill patient to hasten
their death. This is seen as morally distinct from euthanasia because the physician does not cause the
patient's death but gives the patient choice of the time and circumstances of his or her own death.

Active Voluntary Euthanasia is the administration of medication designed to bring about a quick and
peaceful death at the request of a patient.

Living Wills, Medical Powers of Attorney, and Advance Directives are documents that give guidelines on
how far a person’s life can be sustained once a certain point of illness or trauma has been reached.
They describe your wishes, or give another person authority, when the time comes, to decide how far
you should be treated.

Advance Health Directives were legalized in Queensland on 1 June 1998 under the Powers of Attorney
Act 1998 which also introduced the concept of an Enduring Power of Attorney for personal matters
(in addition to financial matters).  These documents are available from most Queensland newsagents.
They are also available online from the Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney-General Web site.  
For more information about making health care decisions go to: http://www.justice.qld.gov.au/1130.htm
— click here to download: Advanced Health Directive — Queensland.
                                                  (There are 24 pages in PDF format.)

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