Originally Published: 2009-03-01

Assisted suicide, active and passive euthanasia, living wills, palliative treatment, bioethics, vegetative state, artificial nutrition. It is quite a complicated tangle to extricate oneself from such delicate, controversial themes that profoundly touch on the most personal emotions of the human soul.
All countries that in recent years have opened up a debate on these issues have experienced weighty domestic division characterized by controversy, debates, and accusations. And where they managed to establish norms, the wounds – both in political circles and in public opinion – have not healed. Freedom of choice, the safeguarding of life, rights of patients, and duty-bound treatment: From the judicial perspective there exists an excruciating difficulty in synthesizing the contrasting and strident elements into a homogenous legislative body. In countries still lacking legislation, the end-of-life issue continues to divide.

Defining Terminology

Euthanasia presents itself as the apparent solution for ending physical and emotional suffering of the patient, assuming obviously that the illness is terminal.
“Active euthanasia” refers to a doctor’s deliberate actions – for example, the administering of lethal drugs to cause death – in response to the explicit request of the patient.
“Passive euthanasia,” instead, refers to the suspension of treatment by the doctor – suspending nutrition, hydration, lung ventilation, or any number of other medical interventions designed to keep a terminally ill patient alive.
In this case, a distinction needs to be made. Passive euthanasia can also be consensual in cases where a patient has clearly and unequivocally expressed his or her wish to not undergo a particular surgical or pharmaceutical treatment, and nonconsensual, where a patient has not expressed his or her wishes and the decision to subsequently suspend treatment is made by the family. The Eluana Englaro case in Italy is a perfect example of this last point.

Page 1/...Page 2

Printable Version Email to a Friend Share

Voice Your Opinion Letter to the Editor