The term euthanasia is derived from the Greek words eu, meaning 'good' and thanatos, meaning 'death'. However, the issue of assisted suicide is far from being pleasant. The expression "assisted suicide" refers to the deliberate speeding up of the death process of a terminally ill patient with the assistance of a doctor, a family member or any other individual. Generally the terms "aid in dying" or "death with dignity" are preferred to "assisted suicide", since suicide remains illegal in certain countries, but also because it is generally conceived to be more politically correct to speak about dignity or aid than about suicide. The word "euthanasia" should only be used when referring to an act performed by another person than the patient. In a case of assisted suicide the patient is helped, assisted, supported whereas in a case of euthanasia the patient cannot commit suicide by himself. Besides the semantic issues, aid in dying is currently subjected to ethical, judicial, political, societal and medical issues. Very few developed countries, more precisely medically favored countries, have raised the issue of assisted suicide or have chosen a clear position in the debate. Poor countries, on the other hand, are often less concerned because they lack the medical means to practice any form of aid in dying and the eventual case of euthanasia does not echo throughout this society.
[...] A retired doctor, Anne Turner, travelled to Dignitas Clinic to commit suicide after inviting the BBC to film her final hours. She was suffering from an incurable degenerative illness. Also, Daniel James, a former British rugby player who was paralysed in a training accident died in a Swiss clinic in the presence of his parents; the Crown Prosecution decided that it was not in the public interest to press charges against them (Document Assisted suicide pact). Another case is the one of a British couple suffering for terminal cancer which decided to travel to a voluntary euthanasia clinic of Zurich. [...]
[...] The governor of Florida signed an act into law to continue her nutrition and hydration, an act the Florida Supreme Court later ruled unconstitutional. At the end of the day, Terri Shiavo died of hunger and dehydration. There is also the famous case of Jack Kevorkian, known for helping about 130 people to die, thanks to a lethal injection. Kevorkian filmed the death and he was convicted of second degree murder, a conviction that was confirmed by the Court of Appeal. [...]
[...] As we can see, right to die is a global stake and a majority of countries have considered this question. In fact, it is not only a legal question but also an ethical, medical and religious matter. For this reason, legislate on this is a sensitive task, oppositions are numerous and the debate between the opponents and the defenders is fierce. Also, authorities cannot ignore the public opinion which is globally in favour of the legalisation of assisted suicide and express its will of legislation on it: about 70% of the people think the law must be changed in order to safeguard people from prosecution in case of assistance to a suicide. [...]
[...] The United Nations refused. Suddenly, euthanasia became, in the 1960's-1970's an issue of sustained public interest. From now on, euthanasia ceased to be interpreted as a predominantly social or biological matter and was transformed into a personal issue: the concept of patient autonomy and individual right became the key words and the term euthanasia was replaced by the expression “right to die”. In 1976, the first case occurred: a 21-year-old woman had fallen into an irreversible coma and the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that she could be detached from her respirator. [...]
[...] Under British law, anybody who helps another to commit suicide can be prosecuted, and face up to 14 years' imprisonment. Although about 100 British people have had assisted deaths at Swiss clinics, no one who has accompanied a person there, or helped to arrange a suicide, has been prosecuted. Peers plan to introduce an amendment to government revisions to the 1961 Suicide Act, which will be contained in a new Justice and Coroners Bill announced in the Queen's speech. Warner said: could put an amendment down to this bill to make it very clear that if someone assisted a relative or friend who was terminally ill and went abroad to, let us say, Dignitas in Switzerland, then they could not be prosecuted under legislation in the David Smith and Sarah-Kate Templeton. [...]
Bibliographie, normes APA
Citez le doc consultéLecture en ligne
et sans publicité !Contenu vérifié
par notre comité de lecture
