Euthanasia due to Tiredness of Life. A Dehumanization of Autonomy?
Keywords:
euthanasia, tiredness of life, autonomyAbstract
The analysis and examination of the issue of “euthanasia due to tiredness of life” is a relatively recent development in the theoretical discourse of health sciences and bioethics, as well as in clinical articles in medicine and nursing that draw on the challenges healthcare professionals face in their daily practice and professional work regarding the application of euthanasia laws. This article examines the problems that have arisen in countries such as Belgium following amendments to the euthanasia law passed more than two decades ago in that country, which, through a “slippery slope,” have gradually included grounds and illnesses that were not originally present. Among these are symptoms that form part of what is now medically termed “life-weariness.” Based on what is occurring in Belgium with cases of “euthanasia due to tiredness of life”, we ask whether this situation constitutes a complete dehumanization of certain patients’ autonomy and whether it will also occur in the future in Spain, when amendments are proposed to the current Organic Law 3/2021 of March 24, regulating euthanasia.
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