Euthanasia and ethical dillemas: Human dignity against sanctity of life

Abstract

The paper analyses ethical dilemmas and conflicting issues tied to euthanasia and the institutionalization of the right to a dignified death, viewed through a prism of arguments in favour of and against euthanasia, solutions of comparative law and the practice of the European Council and The European Court of Human Rights in this field, as well as the existing practices of physicians with respect to the implementation of various modalities of euthanasia. At the national lavel, the topic is becoming of interest as the Preliminary Draft of the Civil Code, in essence foresees, that this right can be effectuated in exceptional cases whereby all humane, psycho-social and medical conditions are fulfilled; whilst in a public hearing regarding the proposed solution showed a lack of readiness of the expert public, primarily medical, for radical changes in this field. Taking into consideration that passive euthanasia, whereby an incurable disease is allowed to run its course is widespread in medical practice, and that palliative care cannot provide all dying patients with cumbrous symptoms a peaceful and dignified death, the question of the right to euthanasia should be approached without hypocrisy. Access to euthanasia should be enabled, but under strict conditions, exclusively to individuals that are in the conclusive stages of an incurable illness, where death within a foreseeable time period is inevitable. Conditions and procedures tied to euthanasia should be precisely defined, so as to avoid its misuse and to establish clear rules in terms of physician accountability.

U radu se razmatraju etičke dileme i sporna pitanja vezana za eutanaziju i institucionalizovanje prava na dostojanstvenu smrt, sagledane kroz prizmu argumenata za i protiv ozakonjenja eutanazije, uporednopravnih rešenja i prakse Saveta Evrope i Evropskog suda za ljudska prava u ovoj oblasti, kao i postojeće lekarske prakse u pogledu sprovođenja različitih modaliteta eutanazije. Na domaćim prostorima tema dobija na aktuelnosti budući da Prednacrt Građanskog zakonika Srbije načelno predviđa pravo na eutanaziju kao pravo koje se može izuzetno ostvariti ako se ispune propisani humani, psiho-socijalni i medicinski uslovi, dok je, pak, javna rasprava o predloženom rešenju pokazala nespremnost stručne javnosti, pre svega medicinske, za radikalne promene u ovoj oblasti. Imajući u vidu da je pasivna eutanazija, odnosno prepuštanje da neizlečiva bolest ide svojim prirodnim tokom raširena u lekarkoj praksi, te da palijativna nega ne može obezbediti svim umirućim pacijentima sa mučnim simptomima mirnu i dostojanstvenu smrt, pitanju prava na eutanaziju bi trebalo prići bez hipokrizije. Etuanaziji bi valjalo omogućiti, ali pod restriktivnim uslovima, isključivo licima koja boluju od neizlečive bolesti u završnoj fazi, a smrtni ishod je neminovan u kratkom i predvidivom periodu. Uslove i procedure vezane za eutanaziju trebalo bi što preciznije urediti, kako bi se izbegle zloupotrebe i postavila jasna pravila lekarske odgovornosti.