What doesn’t count as euthanasia or assisted suicide?

In some cases, the most effective way to treat a dying patient’s symptoms and keep them as comfortable as possible is to give them treatment, such as high doses of morphine. For these patients, the dose required to effectively treat their symptoms may be so high that it could have the unintended effect of shortening the patient’s life. If a medical practitioner provides this treatment with the goal of relieving the patient’s pain or managing their care, while foreseeing the potential result of an unintended earlier death, it is considered a “double effect.” This “double effect” is distinct from euthanasia or assisted suicide (where intentionally lethal drugs are given with the intent or purpose of ending the patient’s life), and is allowed in current law as with other palliative care treatments that are given to improve a patient’s quality of life and comfort while they are alive.

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