Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: A Cinematographic Approach to the Death that Hurts the Most

The aim of this article is to present two different ways in which bioethical issues, like euthanasia and medically assisted suicide, can be analyzed. On the one hand, vignettes and case studies serve to reflect upon the moral and normative codes that health and legal practitioners abide by nowadays....

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Juan Jorge Michel Fariña, Irene Cambra Badii, Ailen Provenza
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Rijeka, School of Medicine 2017-03-01
Series:European Journal of Bioethics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://jahr-bioethics-journal.com/index.php/JAHR/article/view/367
Description
Summary:The aim of this article is to present two different ways in which bioethical issues, like euthanasia and medically assisted suicide, can be analyzed. On the one hand, vignettes and case studies serve to reflect upon the moral and normative codes that health and legal practitioners abide by nowadays. In this way, we present a vignette concerning the death of French psychoanalyst, Jacques Lacan, and a case study featured in UNESCO’s Casebook on Informed Consent. However, little does this approach tell us about the singularity of the actors involved in those stories and their subjective responsibility in the end-of-life decisions they make. Thus, we propose that films are an excellent tool for gaining a better understanding on those aspects, which supplement the moral and legal discussions that have long revolved around euthanasia. Regarding this second approach, we analyze the films You Don’t Know Jack, The Sea Inside, and Wit.
ISSN:1847-6376
1848-7874