What does passive euthanasia involve?

Passive euthanasia involves allowing a person to die naturally by not initiating or continuing medical treatments that would prolong life. In essence, it refers to the decision to withhold or withdraw medical interventions that could extend the dying process, thereby letting the individual pass away due to their underlying condition without any additional life-sustaining measures. This can occur in situations where a patient is terminally ill and where further treatment offers no hope for recovery or improvement in quality of life.

In contrast, the other options involve actions contrary to the principles of passive euthanasia. Initiating medical interventions to prolong life is the opposite of allowing death to occur. Actively managing a patient's pain until death could align more with palliative care practices and does not necessarily mean that life-sustaining treatments are being withheld or withdrawn. Forcing a patient to take life-sustaining measures directly opposes the concept of passive euthanasia, as it involves actively engaging treatments that aim to keep the patient alive against their wishes or best interests.