mercy killing

/'mə:si,kiliɳ/
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Thân thiện
Definition
  1. Noun:
    • The act of painlessly ending the life of a person or animal suffering from a severe, incurable, and painful illness or condition: This term refers to the deliberate termination of a life, motivated by compassion to relieve unbearable suffering. It is often discussed in ethical, medical, and legal contexts.
Usage Examples
  • Noun:
    • The debate over the legalization of mercy killing is complex and emotionally charged.
    • Some argue that mercy killing is an act of compassion, while others view it as morally wrong.
    • The patient requested a mercy killing to end her prolonged suffering from the terminal disease.
Advanced Usage

  • "to perform a mercy killing": to carry out the act of ending a life for compassionate reasons.

    • The veterinarian faced a difficult decision about whether to perform a mercy killing on the severely injured animal.

  • "a case of mercy killing": an instance or situation involving this act.

    • The court considered the circumstances as a tragic case of mercy killing.
Variants and Related Words
  • Euthanasia (n): This is the more formal and common technical term for "mercy killing," especially in medical and legal discourse.
    • The hospital's ethics committee reviewed the policy on voluntary euthanasia.
Synonyms
  • Assisted dying: A term often used in legal contexts to describe helping a person end their own life to relieve suffering.
  • Physician-assisted suicide: A specific form where a doctor provides a patient with the means to end their own life.
Related Phrases
  • "to plead for mercy killing": to make an emotional request for this act.
    • The family pleaded for a mercy killing, unable to bear seeing their loved one in constant pain.
Important Note

The term "mercy killing" is highly sensitive and controversial. It is crucial to understand the significant ethical, legal, and personal distinctions between concepts like voluntary euthanasia (requested by the patient), non-voluntary euthanasia (without the patient's consent, e.g., if they are unconscious), and involuntary euthanasia (against the patient's will). The latter is generally considered murder. Laws regarding these practices vary greatly around the world.

Noun
  1. the act of killing someone painlessly (especially someone suffering from an incurable illness)

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