Suicide, assisted suicide and euthanasia: International perspectives

2001 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoon Leenaars ◽  
John Connolly ◽  
Chris Cantor ◽  
Marlene EchoHawk ◽  
Zhao Xiong He ◽  
...  

AbstractSuicide, assisted suicide and euthanasia are elusive and controversial issues worldwide. To discuss such issues from only one perspective may be limiting. Therefore, this paper was written by authors from various regions, each of whom has been asked to reflect on the issues. The countries/cultures are: Australia, China, Cuba, Ireland, India, Japan, Russia, South Africa, The Netherlands, North America (Turtle Island) and United States. Historically and today, suicide is viewed differently. Assisted suicide and euthanasia are equally seen from multifarious perspectives. Highlighting development in the Netherlands, Australia's Northern Territory and Japan (ie. the famous Yamanouchi Case), the review shows growing re-examination of the right to die. There appear, however, to be no uniform legal and ethical positions. Further debate and discussion globally is needed to avoid myopic perspectives.

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Chris Gilleard

Abstract This paper explores the concept of the completed life outlined in recent writing in the Netherlands on euthanasia and assisted suicide and its implications for ageing studies. Central to this theme is the basic right of people to self-determine the length of their later life, linked with the subsidiary right to assistance in achieving such self-determination. Although the notion of weariness with life has a long history, the recent advocacy of a self-limited life seems shaped by the new social movements presaged upon individual rights together with what might be called a distinctly third-age habitus, giving centre stage to autonomy over the nature and extent of a desired later life, including choice over the manner and timing of a person's ending. In exploring this concept, consideration is given to the notion of a ‘right to die’, ‘rational suicide’ and the inclusion of death as a lifestyle choice. While reservations are noted over the unequivocal good attached to such self-determination, including the limits to freedom imposed by the duty to avoid hurt to society, the article concludes by seeing the notion of a completed life as a challenge to traditional ideas about later life.


2009 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 318-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Ziegler

Medicalized Death and the Right to Die Movement Prior to the 20th Century, most Americans died at home, surrounded by family, friends, and neighbors. Religion, not medicine, governed the death bed for there was little physicians could do for the dying. Eventually, however, advances in medicine and technology would lead to dramatic changes in the timing and location of death: patients not only began living longer, they were also dying longer, and unlike their predecessors, were more likely to die alone, in institutions, and among strangers. Modern medicine, in its zeal to conquer death, had become obsessed with its curative function and ability to extend the lives of the dying. To many in the medical community, death represented failure and was something to be avoided at all costs, and like many other social problems in the United States, had become medicalized.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-75
Author(s):  
Hrvoje Vargić

The article examines whether countries should legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide. Firstly, context of the debate is provided by defining the key terms and giving the overview of how the debate evolved throughout history. The arguments in favor of legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide are addressed, namely the argument from autonomy and self–determination and the claim for the “right to die with dignity”. The consequences which were showed to occur in the countries which legalized euthanasia and/or assisted suicide are analyzed, and the case study on the Netherlands and Belgium is made. Finally, the model for the dignity–respecting health–care is proposed followed by the call for bigger accessibility and funding for palliative care.


Author(s):  
Тамерлан Шайх-Магомедович Едреев

Каждый имеет право на жилище. Никто не может быть произвольно лишен жилища. В статье проанализированы особенности реализации универсального права человека на жилище в отдельных странах (на примере Нидерландов и ЮАР), принадлежащих к разным правовым семьям. Everyone has the right to housing. No one can be arbitrarily deprived of their home. The article analyzes the features of the implementation of the universal human right to housing in individual countries (on the example of the Netherlands and South Africa) belonging to different legal families.


2001 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 631
Author(s):  
Kevin Fox Gotham ◽  
Elaine Fox ◽  
Jeffrey J. Kamakahi ◽  
Stella M. Capek

Author(s):  

Abstract A new distribution map is provided for Paratrichodorus teres (Hooper) Siddiqi. Enoplea: Dorylaimida: Trichodoridae. Hosts: sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris var. saccharifera), potato (Solanum tuberosum), onion (Allium cepa) and various bulbs. Information is given on the geographical distribution in Africa (South Africa), Asia (Iran), Europe (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain, Canary Islands, Sweden, United Kingdom, England), North America (United States, Florida, Oregon, Washington), Oceania (Australia, South Australia), South America (Chile).


1997 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy E. Quill ◽  
Gerrit Kimsma

Voluntary active euthanasia (VAE) and physician-assisted suicide (PAS) remain technically illegal in the Netherlands, but the practices are openly tolerated provided that physicians adhere to carefully constructed guidelines. Harsh criticism of the Dutch practice by authors in the United States and Great Britain has made achieving a balanced understanding of its clinical, moral, and policy implications very difficult. Similar practice patterns probably exist in the United States, but they are conducted in secret because of a more uncertain legal and ethical climate. In this manuscript, we plan to compare end-of-life care in the United States and the Netherlands with regard to underlying values, justifications, and practices. We will explore the risks and benefits of each system for a real patient who was faced with a common end-of-life clinical dilemma, and close with challenges for public policies in both countries.


2011 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan M. Behuniak

Much of the American debate over physician assisted death (PAD) is framed as an ideological split between conservatives and liberals, pro life and pro choice advocates, and those who emphasize morality versus personal autonomy. Less examined, but no less relevant, is a split within the ranks of progressives—one that divides those supporting a right to die in the name of human rights from disability rights activists who invoke human rights to vehemently oppose euthanasia. This paper reviews how “dignity” serves both as a divisive wedge in this debate but also as a value that can span the divide between groups and open the way to productive discourse. Supporters of legalized euthanasia use “dignity” to express their position that some deaths might indeed be accelerated. At the same time, opponents adopt the concept to argue that physician assisted suicide stigmatizes life with a disability. To bridge this divide, the worldviews of two groups, Compassion & Choices and Not Dead Yet, are studied. The analysis concludes that the two organizations are more parallel than contrary—a finding that offers opportunities for dialogue and perhaps even advances in public policy.


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