terri schivo case.. is pullng the feeding tube euthanasia? technically?
euthanasia is illegal in the usa.. if so how can it be legal to pull the feeding tube?
It's legal because providing food and water through a tube is considered a medical treatment, and it is legal for people to refuse medical treatment -- and for people under guardianship to have medical treatment refused on their behalf. Even though you have to physically do certain things in order to stop feeding someone and giving them fluids, removing a feeding tube is considered to be passive, effectively doing nothing in a situation in which you are not required to do anything. Turning off the ventilator someone needs to breathe is another thing that is permitted, because the ventilator is a medical treatment and can be refused; smothering someone with a pillow, even though it has the same effect, is an act, and an act that is prohibited even if the person asks you to do it. Note that I'm not advocating this position, merely describing it.
If you really think about it, this is an important distinction. Suppose you were walking by a very fast-moving river with a lot of rocks in it and you saw someone in the water drowning. If you don't go into the water to try to save her, are you as responsible for her death as if you came up to her as she was swimming in a slow-moving river and held her head under water? (Would you consider yourself to be responsible for her death at all?) Acting to kill someone and failing to act to save them need to be distinguished.
But it's not a simple distinction, and it shouldn't necessarily be applied everywhere.