Mercy Killing (Noun)
Meaning
The act of killing someone painlessly (especially someone suffering from an incurable illness).
Classification
Nouns denoting acts or actions.
Examples
- The doctor was accused of performing a mercy killing on her terminally ill patient, sparking a heated debate about euthanasia.
- The family of the cancer patient begged the doctor to consider a mercy killing, as they couldn't bear to see their loved one suffer any longer.
- The court ruled that the husband who had ended his wife's life was guilty of murder, despite his claims that it was a mercy killing.
- The nurse was torn between her duty to preserve life and her desire to end the patient's suffering through a mercy killing.
- The ethics committee was divided on the issue of mercy killing, with some arguing that it was a humane act and others claiming it was morally wrong.