Euthanasia – the Right to a Dignified Death
Euthanasia – the Right to a Dignified Death

Summary/Abstract: In the contemporary society, ethical issues raise more and more controversial debates. This has also emerged regarding the concept of euthanasia, given that it involves the decision of the patient who is facing the last phase of his life. Since this issue raises more and more debates, we consider it appropriate to bring into discussion the ethical aspects involved by the decision of dying a dignified death. In this article, we consider it would be appropriate to bring into discussion the ethical aspects involved by the decision of dying a dignified death. The aim of this article is to analyze the concept of euthanasia starting from the idea that a person in the terminal phase of an illness should have the right to decide about his own death. Researchers’ opinions are divided, the euthanasia being interpreted as involving different areas such as medicine, philosophy, Law and theology. In the context where the question of the individual quality of life is raised, is there the right to choose a dignified death? The Romanian legal framework has not regularized this practice yet, but countries such as Switzerland have reached the conclusion that the dignity of the individual and his right to die a dignified death should be among the privileges granted within the individual freedoms. Because it is a rather old practice, in the contemporary society euthanasia has drawn the attention of all the fields, and various researchers have expressed their views regarding the end of life; hence the problematic relation between euthanasia and the freedoms and rights provided by democracy. What delimitates the particularity of this practice is exactly the trans-disciplinary dimension, the analytical coordinates that we intend to picture in this approach which we consider it to be closely related to the social reality.

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