Latest Legal and Social Developments in the Euthanasia Debate: Bad Moral Consciences and Political Unrest

Medicine and Law, Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 387-407, June 2007

Posted: 2 Nov 2008 Last revised: 21 Dec 2010

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: June 1, 2007

Abstract

Several events that took place during recent years, such as the French Act on the rights of patients and the end of life, the Terri Schiavo case and Lord Joffe's proposal for an Assisted Dying Bill in the United Kingdom, have triggered the debate on euthanasia more than ever.

It is therefore opportune to revisit basic notions related thereto and to make a comparative analysis of the legal regime of euthanasia in several countries in Europe and elsewhere, as well as to try to see how the public awareness of the problem has of late developed.

There seems to be a clear trend in many legal systems towards an increasing respect for the patient's right to self-determination. However, we are still looking at a complex social game, where legal and medical terminology are manipulated and euphemisms are invented in order to accommodate bad moral consciences and avoid political unrest.

Keywords: Euthanasia, end-of-life, assisted suicide, active, passive and indirect euthanasia

Suggested Citation

Ferreira, Nuno, Latest Legal and Social Developments in the Euthanasia Debate: Bad Moral Consciences and Political Unrest (June 1, 2007). Medicine and Law, Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 387-407, June 2007, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1293292

Nuno Ferreira (Contact Author)

University of Sussex ( email )

School of Law, Politics and Sociology
Freeman Building, University of Sussex
Brighton, BN1 9QE
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/profiles/396218

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Abstract Views
286
PlumX Metrics