Introduction:

Although life is a moral value that must be respected above anything else, euthanasia is still practiced today in many countries; with this, discrepancies persist regarding its bioethical approach.

Objectives:

To describe some essential historical, legal and conceptual aspects related to euthanasia, as possible aspects to take into account for its bioethical approach.

Methods:

An observational and descriptive review study with an analytical component was carried out, using an exhaustive bibliographic review, with the use of the following health sciences descriptors: eutanasia [euthanasia], ADN [DNA] ética [ethics]; thus, the positions of different countries regarding euthanasia were compared and some concepts were contrasted, such as quality of life and its expression in pediatric age.

Conclusions:

The systematic study of all the possible aspects of euthanasia is essential for achieving an adequate bioethical approach to it, which contributes to our being more consistent and humanistic when making a dignified death possible.

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