Right to die

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Right to die (disambiguation).

Suicide

Social aspects Benevolent suicide Copycat Epidemic Euthanasia Legislation Philosophy Religious views Right to die
Suicide crisis Assessment of risk Crisis hotline (list) Intervention Prevention Suicide watch
Suicide types Assisted Copycat Cult Familicide Forced Honor Internet Mass Murder–suicide Pact Parasuicide Suicide attack
Epidemiology Among LGBT youth Gender differences Suicide rates
History List of suicides Suicide in antiquity
In warfare Banzai charge Kamikaze Suicide attack Suicide mission
Related phenomena Failed suicide attempt Locations Ideation Self-harm Suicide note
By country Bangladesh Canada China France Greenland India Japan Lithuania Pakistan Russia South Korea Ukraine United Kingdom United States
Rates List of countries by suicide rate List of OECD countries by suicide rate Gender differences in suicide
v t e

The right to die is an ethical or institutional entitlement of any individual to commit suicide or to undergo voluntary euthanasia. Possession of this right is often understood to mean that a person with a terminal illness should be allowed to commit suicide or assisted suicide or to decline life-prolonging treatment, where a disease would otherwise prolong their suffering to an identical result. The question of who, if anyone, should be empowered to make these decisions is often central to debate.

The right to die is sometimes associated with the idea that one's body and one's life are one's own, to dispose of as one sees fit. However, a legitimate state interest in preventing irrational suicides is sometimes argued. Pilpel and Amsel write, "Contemporary proponents of ‘rational suicide’ or the ‘right to die’ usually demand by ‘rationality’ that the decision to kill oneself be both the autonomous choice of the agent (i.e., not due to the physician or the family pressuring them to ‘do the right thing’ and commit suicide) and a ‘best option under the circumstances’ choice desired by the stoics or utilitarians, as well as other natural conditions such as the choice being stable, not an impulsive decision, not due to mental illness, achieved after due deliberation, etc."^[1]

Hinduism accepts the right to die for those who are tormented by terminal diseases or those who have no desire, ambition or no responsibilities remaining; and allows death through the non-violent practice of fasting to the point of starvation (Prayopavesa).^[2] Jainism has a similar practice named Santhara. Other religious views on suicide vary in their tolerance, and include denial of the right as well as condemnation of the act. In the Catholic faith, suicide is considered a grave sin.^[3]

Ethics

A debate exists within bioethics over whether the right to die is universal, only applies under certain circumstances—such as terminal illness, or if it exists at all. A court in the American state of Montana, for example, has found that the right to die applies to those with life-threatening medical conditions. Suicide advocate Ludwig Minelli, euthanasia expert Sean W. Asher and bioethics professor Jacob J. Appel, in contrast, argue that, all competent people have a right to end their own lives. Appel has suggested that the right to die is a test for the overall freedom of a given society.^[4]

The 1991 Patient Self-Determination Act passed by The Congress of the USA at the request of the financial arm of Medicare does permit elderly Medicare/Medicaid patients (and by implication, all "terminal" patients) to prepare an advanced directive in which they ELECT or CHOOSE to refuse life-extending and/or life-saving treatments as a means of shortening their lives to shorten their suffering unto certain death. The treatment refused in an advanced directive under US law, because of the 1991 PSDA, does not have to be proved to be "medically futile" under some existing due-process procedure developed under state laws, such as TADA in Texas.^{[citation needed]}

Legal documents

Most often, the idea of the right to die is related to a person's wish that caregivers allow death—for example, by not providing life support or vital medication—under certain conditions when recovery is highly unlikely or impossible. It may also refer to issues regarding physician-assisted suicide. It may be called passive euthanasia in cases where the patient is unable to make decisions about treatment. Living wills and Do Not Resuscitate orders are legal instruments that make a patient's treatment decisions known ahead of time; allowing a patient to die based on such decisions is not considered to be euthanasia. Usually these patients have also made explicit their wish to receive only palliative care to reduce pain and suffering.

Although specialized legal instruments differ from place to place, there are two more that are important in this context. The Five Wishes document allows a person to state in advance the priorities and values they wish to have honored at the end of life. And the Medical Durable Power of Attorney (or MDPOA) designates an agent to make decisions in case of incapacity, and can be used to give written guidance regarding end of life decision making. The MDPOA is generally considered to be the most powerful of all such instruments. All others may require interpretation on the part of health care providers or even court-appointed guardians; the MDPOA takes the job of interpretation out of the hands of strangers and gives it to a person selected and trusted by the individual; of course it is a personal decision.

By country

See Voluntary euthanasia#Euthanasia by country

As of 2009, some forms of voluntary euthanasia are legal in Belgium,^[5] Luxembourg,^[6] the Netherlands,^[5] Switzerland,^[5] and the US states of Oregon^[7] and Washington.^[8]

Netherlands

Main article: Euthanasia in the Netherlands

The Netherlands legalized voluntary euthanasia in 2001 and is one of the few countries in the world to have done so.

In February 2010 a citizens' initiative called Uit Vrije Wil (Out of Free Will) further demanded that all Dutch people over 70 who feel tired of life should have the right to professional help in ending it. The organization, initiated by Milly van Stiphout and Yvonne van Baarle, started collecting signatures in support of this proposed change in Dutch legislation. A number of prominent Dutch citizens supported the initiative, including former ministers and artists, legal scholars and physicians. Among them were former politicians Frits Bolkestein, Hedy d'Ancona and Jan Terlouw, as well as television personality Mies Bouwman. Under current Dutch law, euthanasia by doctors is only legal in cases of "hopeless and unbearable" suffering. In practice this means that it is limited to those suffering from serious medical conditions (including mental illness) and in considerable pain. Helping somebody to commit suicide without meeting the qualifications of the current Dutch euthanasia law is illegal.^[9]^[10]^[11]

Canada

Main article: Euthanasia in Canada

As of August 2011 a B.C. Supreme Court judge had been requested to speed up a right-to die lawsuit so that Gloria Taylor could have a doctor assist her in committing suicide. She suffered from Lou Gehrig's disease.^[12] She died of an infection in 2012.

A B.C. Civil Liberties lawsuit is representing six plaintiffs and challenges the laws that make it a criminal offence to assist seriously and incurably ill individuals to die with dignity.

United States

Main article: Euthanasia in the United States

Euthanasia, where a physician or another third party administers a lethal medication, is illegal in every state. Assisted suicide, where the physician or third party gives the patient the means to end his/her own life, is legal in the states of Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Vermont. It is required in these states that the patient be of sound mind when requesting assisted suicide, as confirmed by a doctor and other witnesses, and that the patient be diagnosed with a terminal illness.

References

↑ A Pilpel, L Amsel. "What is Wrong with Rational Suicide"
↑ "Hinduism — Euthanasia and Suicide". BBC. 2009-08-25.
↑ Do people who commit suicide go to hell?
↑ Next: Assisted Suicide for Healthy People
↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Euthanasia and the law". BBC News. 23 December 2002.
↑ "Luxembourg says 'yes' to euthanasia". Daily Mail. 20 February 2008.
↑ "Oregon’s Death with Dignity law and Euthanasia in the Netherlands: Factual Disputes". Leg.state.vt.us.
↑ See Washington Initiative 1000, which passed on 4 November 2008.
↑ "'Right to die' for elderly back at centre of Dutch debate"
↑ " Citizens group argues 'right to die' — A citizens action group wants to legalise assisted suicide for all people over 70"
↑ (Dutch) "70-plus eist zachte dood"
↑ Article on CBC.ca

The body as unwarranted life support: a new perspective on euthanasia.
Appel JM (May–June 2007). "A suicide right for the mentally ill? A Swiss case opens a new debate". Hastings Center Report 37 (3): 21–3. doi:10.1353/hcr.2007.0035. PMID 17649899.
(Dutch) "Uit Vrije Wil — Burgerinitiatief voltooid leven"

v t e Substantive human rights

Note: What is considered a human right is controversial and not all the topics listed are universally accepted as human rights.

Civil and political	Equality before the law Freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention Freedom of assembly Freedom of association Freedom from cruel and unusual punishment Freedom from discrimination Freedom from exile Freedom of information Freedom of movement Freedom of religion Freedom from slavery Freedom of speech Freedom of thought Freedom from torture Liberty LGBT rights Nationality Personhood Presumption of innocence Right of asylum Right to die Right to a fair trial Right to family life Right to keep and bear arms Right to life Right to petition Right to privacy Right to protest Right to refuse medical treatment Right of self-defense Security of person Universal suffrage

Economic, social and cultural	Digital rights Equal pay for equal work Fair remuneration Labor rights Right to an adequate standard of living Right to clothing Right to development Right to education Right to food Right to health Right to housing Right to Internet access Right to property Right to public participation Right of reply Right of return Right to science and culture Right to social security Right to water Right to work Trade union membership

Sexual and reproductive	Abortion Family planning Freedom from involuntary female genital mutilation LGBT rights Reproductive health Right to sexuality

Violations	Corporal punishment

War and conflict	Civilian Combatant Freedom from genocide Prisoner of war War rape

v t e Suicide

Suicide crisis	Risk assessment Crisis hotline List of crisis hotlines Suicidal ideation Suicide intervention Suicidology Suicide prevention Suicide watch

Social aspects	Legislation Philosophy of suicide Religious views Euthanasia Right to die Benevolent suicide Among LGBT youth Suicide survivor Literature

Suicide types	Bullycide Copycat Cult Familicide Forced Honor Internet Mass Murder-suicide Parasuicide Rational suicide Senicide Suicide attack By cop Pact Youth suicide

Epidemiology	Sex differences List of countries by suicide rate List of OECD countries by suicide rate LGBT-related suicides Antidepressants and suicide risk

History	Suicide in antiquity List of suicides

Related phenomena	Failed suicide attempt Self-harm Suicide methods Suicide note Locations

By country	Canada China France India Japan Pakistan Sweden Switzerland South Korea United States

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.