scholarly journals Should euthanasia and assisted suicide be legal?

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-75
Author(s):  
Hrvoje Vargić
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Assisted Suicide ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Right To Die ◽  
The Right ◽  
Key Terms

The article examines whether countries should legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide. Firstly, context of the debate is provided by defining the key terms and giving the overview of how the debate evolved throughout history. The arguments in favor of legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide are addressed, namely the argument from autonomy and self–determination and the claim for the “right to die with dignity”. The consequences which were showed to occur in the countries which legalized euthanasia and/or assisted suicide are analyzed, and the case study on the Netherlands and Belgium is made. Finally, the model for the dignity–respecting health–care is proposed followed by the call for bigger accessibility and funding for palliative care.

Finitude, choice and the right to die: age and the completed life

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Chris Gilleard
Keyword(s):  
Social Movements ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Assisted Suicide ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Right To Die ◽  
Rational Suicide ◽  
Lifestyle Choice ◽  
Limited Life ◽  
The Right

Abstract This paper explores the concept of the completed life outlined in recent writing in the Netherlands on euthanasia and assisted suicide and its implications for ageing studies. Central to this theme is the basic right of people to self-determine the length of their later life, linked with the subsidiary right to assistance in achieving such self-determination. Although the notion of weariness with life has a long history, the recent advocacy of a self-limited life seems shaped by the new social movements presaged upon individual rights together with what might be called a distinctly third-age habitus, giving centre stage to autonomy over the nature and extent of a desired later life, including choice over the manner and timing of a person's ending. In exploring this concept, consideration is given to the notion of a ‘right to die’, ‘rational suicide’ and the inclusion of death as a lifestyle choice. While reservations are noted over the unequivocal good attached to such self-determination, including the limits to freedom imposed by the duty to avoid hurt to society, the article concludes by seeing the notion of a completed life as a challenge to traditional ideas about later life.

Suicide, assisted suicide and euthanasia: International perspectives

2001 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoon Leenaars ◽  
John Connolly ◽  
Chris Cantor ◽  
Marlene EchoHawk ◽  
Zhao Xiong He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
South Africa ◽  
North America ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Assisted Suicide ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Right To Die ◽  
Controversial Issues ◽  
International Perspectives ◽  
The Right

AbstractSuicide, assisted suicide and euthanasia are elusive and controversial issues worldwide. To discuss such issues from only one perspective may be limiting. Therefore, this paper was written by authors from various regions, each of whom has been asked to reflect on the issues. The countries/cultures are: Australia, China, Cuba, Ireland, India, Japan, Russia, South Africa, The Netherlands, North America (Turtle Island) and United States. Historically and today, suicide is viewed differently. Assisted suicide and euthanasia are equally seen from multifarious perspectives. Highlighting development in the Netherlands, Australia's Northern Territory and Japan (ie. the famous Yamanouchi Case), the review shows growing re-examination of the right to die. There appear, however, to be no uniform legal and ethical positions. Further debate and discussion globally is needed to avoid myopic perspectives.

When Hospice Fails: The Limits of Palliative Care

1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 291-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara J. Logue
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Assisted Suicide ◽  
Patient Autonomy ◽  
Right To Die ◽  
Active Euthanasia ◽  
Important Place ◽  
Palliative Approach ◽  
The Right

Hospice is the best-known example of palliative care. Advocates maintain that good palliative care precludes any need for suicide, assisted suicide, or euthanasia for suffering patients near the end of life. This article examines the feasibility of the palliative approach for all patients, showing that reasonable people may refuse even the most exemplary care for themselves or an incompetent relative. Palliative care should always have an important place in medicine. Yet medical realities and the alleviation of pointless suffering necessitate that policymakers consider other options, including “active” euthanasia, consistent with patient autonomy and the right to die.

Terminal Sedation: Palliative Care for Intractable Pain, Post Glucksberg and Quill

2003 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-76
Author(s):  
Rob McStay
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Supreme Court ◽  
Assisted Suicide ◽  
Life Support ◽  
Intractable Pain ◽  
Terminal Sedation ◽  
Physician Assisted Suicide ◽  
The Right ◽  
Artificial Life Support ◽  
Unconscious State

In 1997, the U.S. Supreme Court tacitly endorsed terminal sedation as an alternative to physician-assisted suicide, thus intensifying a debate in the legal and medical communities as to the propriety of terminal sedation and setting the stage for a new battleground in the “right to die” controversy. Terminal sedation is the induction of an unconscious state to relieve otherwise intractable distress, and is frequently accompanied by the withdrawal of any life-sustaining intervention, such as hydration and nutrition. This practice is a clinical option of “last resort” when less aggressive palliative care measures have failed. Terminal sedation has also been described as “the compromise in the furor over physician-assisted suicide.”Medical literature suggests that terminal sedation was a palliative care option long before the Supreme Court considered the constitutional implications of physician-assisted suicide. Terminal sedation has been used for three related but distinct purposes: (1) to relieve physical pain; (2) to produce an unconscious state before the withdrawal of artificial life support; and (3) to relieve non-physical suffering.

The "Right to Die": A Case Study in American Lawmaking*

1996 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-74
Author(s):  
Alan Meisel
Keyword(s):  
Legal System ◽  
Right To Die ◽  
Judicial Process ◽  
Clinical Issue ◽  
The Press ◽  
American Law ◽  
American Legal System ◽  
The Right ◽  
Made In

AbstractIn the 20 years that have passed since the Karen Quinlan case exposed a simmering clinical issue to the light of day — more precisely, to the press and to judicial process — a consensus has developed in American law about how end-of-life decisionmaking should occur. To be sure, there are dissenting voices from this consensus, but they are often (though not always) about minor issues. By illustrating how this consensus has evolved, this paper explores how law is made in the American legal system and the roles that different legal and extra-legal institutions play in lawmaking.

Responses to assisted suicide requests: an interview study with Swiss palliative care physicians

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. e7-e7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Gamondi ◽  
Gian Domenico Borasio ◽  
Pam Oliver ◽  
Nancy Preston ◽  
Sheila Payne
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
Assisted Suicide ◽  
Qualitative Interview ◽  
Interview Study ◽  
Education For All ◽  
Right To Die ◽  
Specific Training ◽  
Qualitative Interview Study ◽  
Medical Involvement ◽  
Specific Education

ObjectivesAssisted suicide in Switzerland is mainly performed by right-to-die societies. Medical involvement is limited to the prescription of the drug and certification of eligibility. Palliative care has traditionally been perceived as generally opposed to assisted suicide, but little is known about palliative care physicians’ involvement in assisted suicide practices. This paper aims to describe their perspectives and involvement in assisted suicide practices.MethodsA qualitative interview study was conducted with 23 palliative care physicians across Switzerland. Thematic analysis was used to interpret data.ResultsSwiss palliative care physicians regularly receive assisted suicide requests while none reported having received specific training in managing these requests. Participants reported being involved in assisted suicide decision making most were not willing to prescribe the lethal drug. After advising patients of the limits on their involvement in assisted suicide, the majority explored the origins of the patient’s request and offered alternatives. Many participants struggled to reconcile their understanding of palliative care principles with patients’ wishes to exercise their autonomy. The majority of participants had no direct contact with right-to-die societies, many desired better collaboration. A desire was voiced for a more structured debate on assisted suicide availability in hospitals and clearer legal and institutional frameworks.ConclusionsThe Swiss model of assisted suicide gives palliative care physicians opportunities to develop roles which are compatible with each practitioner’s values, but may not correspond to patients’ expectations. Specific education for all palliative care professionals and more structured ways to manage communication about assisted suicide are warranted.

scholarly journals Trends and Patterns in the Public Awareness of Palliative Care, Euthanasia, and End-of-Life Decisions in 3 Central European Countries Using Big Data Analysis From Google: Retrospective Analysis (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Huemer ◽  
Daniela Jahn-Kuch ◽  
Guenter Hofmann ◽  
Elisabeth Andritsch ◽  
Clemens Farkas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Palliative Care ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Assisted Suicide ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
End Of Life Decisions ◽  
The Public ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Life Decisions ◽  
Advance Health Care Directives

BACKGROUND End-of-life decisions, specifically the provision of euthanasia and assisted suicide services, challenge traditional medical and ethical principles. Austria and Germany have decided to liberalize their laws restricting assisted suicide, thus reigniting the debate about a meaningful framework in which the practice should be embedded. Evidence of the relevance of assisted suicide and euthanasia for the general population in Germany and Austria is limited. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to examine whether the public awareness documented by search activities in the most frequently used search engine, Google, on the topics of <i>palliative care, euthanasia</i>, and <i>advance health care directives</i> changed with the implementation of palliative care services and new governmental regulations concerning end-of-life decisions. METHODS We searched for policies, laws, and regulations promulgated or amended in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland between 2004 and 2020 and extracted data on the search volume for each search term topic from Google Trends as a surrogate of public awareness and interest. Annual averages were analyzed using the Joinpoint Regression Program. RESULTS Important policy changes yielded significant changes in search trends for the investigated topics. The enactment of laws regulating advance health care directives coincided with a significant drop in the volume of searches for the topic of euthanasia in all 3 countries (Austria: −24.48%, <i>P</i>=.02; Germany: −14.95%, <i>P</i><.001; Switzerland: −11.75%, <i>P</i>=.049). Interest in palliative care increased with the availability of care services and the implementation of laws and policies to promote palliative care (Austria: 22.69%, <i>P</i>=.01; Germany: 14.39, <i>P</i><.001; Switzerland: 17.59%, <i>P</i><.001). The search trends for advance health care directives showed mixed results. While interest remained steady in Austria within the study period, it increased by 3.66% (<i>P</i><.001) in Switzerland and decreased by 2.85% (<i>P</i><.001) in Germany. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate that legal measures securing patients’ autonomy at the end of life may lower the search activities for topics related to euthanasia and assisted suicide. Palliative care may be a meaningful way to raise awareness of the different options for end-of-life care and to guide patients in their decision-making process regarding the same.

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