Debating Death #5: Meeting End of Life Needs with Palliative Care
Those Suffering at the End of Life need Palliative Care, not Euthanasia In previous articles we have discussed what the social consequences of legalizing euthanasia are and examined why there is no such thing as the “right to die” in international law. Our investigations led us to inevitably conclude that euthanasia is not the adequate […]
Human Dignity and End of Life – Part 3: The End of Life and the Law
Ljudsko dostojanstvo i kraj života – 3. dio: Kraj života i pravo This is a third in the series of three articles titled “Human Dignity and the End of Life”. [tabs] [tab title=”English”] The legal debate concerning the end of life is also characterized by contemporary medical interventions in the lives of the sick […]
Human Dignity and End of Life – Part 2: The End of Life and Medical Science
Ljudsko dostojanstvo i kraj života – 2. dio: Kraj života i medicina This is a second in the series of three articles titled “Human Dignity and the End of Life”. [tabs] [tab title=”English”] If the role of the society is making the world a warmer, more humane and secure place, then the medical profession has an […]
Human Dignity and the End of Life – Part 1: Introductory Notes
Ljudsko dostojanstvo i kraj života – 1. dio: Uvodne napomene This is a first in the series of three articles titled “Human Dignity and the End of Life”. [tabs] [tab title=”English”] One thinker said the following about the end of life: Just as we were helped to be born, so we have to be supported […]
Debating Death #4: Is There a “Right to Die” in the International Law?
Photo source: UN Human Rights Committee, AFP PHOTO / FABRICE COFFRINI Legally, can People Claim the Right to Die? In the last article, I have shown what the social consequences would be if a country legalized euthanasia. Now, I will examine a more factual question – is there a legal basis for claiming a “right […]
Debating Death #3: What are the Social Consequences of Euthanasia?
This is a third in a series of “Debating Death” articles which examine ethical, political, medical, legal, social and cultural aspects of legalizing euthanasia. Legalizing Euthanasia Affects Us All Approximately two years ago, war veterans in Croatia were protesting in front of a government building. After some hours the police wanted to drive out the protesters from […]
Debating Death #2: How Will Legal Euthanasia Affect the Medical Profession?
Acceptance of Physician-Assisted Suicide Changes what it Means to be a Doctor This is a second in a series of “Debating Death” articles which examine ethical, political, medical, legal, social and cultural aspects of legalizing euthanasia. In the previous article, I examined whether liberal societies should legalize euthanasia out of respect for personal autonomy of individuals. As […]
Debating Death #1: Should Liberal Societies Legalize Euthanasia?
Bodily Autonomy, Negative Liberty, and Positive Freedom This is a first in a series of “Debating Death” articles which thematize ethical, political, medical, legal, social and cultural aspects of legalizing euthanasia. It is commonly understood that liberal societies are based on a concept of negative liberty. The notion was first introduced by Hobbes in Leviathan […]
Protection of the vulnerable by health care institutions
Recently, new laws that allow doctors to help terminally ill patients to end their own lives have been approved in places like Washington, D.C., and the U.S. state of Colorado. It’s essential that we look at the impact that this law will have on the patients, doctors, the government and the society. What we are […]
Palliative Care and Human Dignity
The objectives of the medicine could be summarized into two: to preserve life and to relieve suffering. However, as the end of life gets closer, the alleviation of suffering acquires more importance, as the preservation of life is no longer possible. At a certain point, terminally ill patients may decide not to continue treatment with […]
