Analyzing the Spanish Euthanasia Law: Achievements and inconsistencies of the legal assistance to die
The Spanish government recently passed legislation that legalized euthanasia. This article analyzes the Organic Law on the Regulation of Voluntary Euthanasia by exploring its procedural aspects, the various methods of providing assistance to die and the medical role under the law. After this examina...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Catalan |
| Published: |
Universidad de Barcelona
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Revista de Bioética y Derecho |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://revistes.ub.edu/index.php/RBD/article/view/39990 |
| _version_ | 1826994394478149632 |
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| author | Miguel Paradela López Alexandra Jima-González |
| author_facet | Miguel Paradela López Alexandra Jima-González |
| author_sort | Miguel Paradela López |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Spanish government recently passed legislation that legalized euthanasia. This article analyzes the Organic Law on the Regulation of Voluntary Euthanasia by exploring its procedural aspects, the various methods of providing assistance to die and the medical role under the law. After this examination, the article points out three potential problems with respect to the law’s practical implementation. The first potential problem is the lack of explicit regulation regarding the assistance to die as provided to patients with mental disorders. Second, the law is unclear concerning the permissible extent of the legal assistance to die for patients self-administrating the lethal drug. Third, the ambiguous role assigned to medical staff during the final phases of euthanasia, especially concerning the duty of “observation and support”. This study concludes that the new law, despite its proponents’ thorough effort to guarantee the right to receive euthanasia, contains significant loopholes that may generate future controversies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T03:52:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-83dc47302386462393e33f29e882ad09 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2545-6385 1886-5887 |
| language | Catalan |
| last_indexed | 2025-02-18T09:18:02Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Universidad de Barcelona |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Revista de Bioética y Derecho |
| spelling | doaj.art-83dc47302386462393e33f29e882ad092024-11-02T22:09:57ZcatUniversidad de BarcelonaRevista de Bioética y Derecho2545-63851886-58872023-06-0114716410.1344/rbd2023.58.3999037437Analyzing the Spanish Euthanasia Law: Achievements and inconsistencies of the legal assistance to dieMiguel Paradela LópezAlexandra Jima-GonzálezThe Spanish government recently passed legislation that legalized euthanasia. This article analyzes the Organic Law on the Regulation of Voluntary Euthanasia by exploring its procedural aspects, the various methods of providing assistance to die and the medical role under the law. After this examination, the article points out three potential problems with respect to the law’s practical implementation. The first potential problem is the lack of explicit regulation regarding the assistance to die as provided to patients with mental disorders. Second, the law is unclear concerning the permissible extent of the legal assistance to die for patients self-administrating the lethal drug. Third, the ambiguous role assigned to medical staff during the final phases of euthanasia, especially concerning the duty of “observation and support”. This study concludes that the new law, despite its proponents’ thorough effort to guarantee the right to receive euthanasia, contains significant loopholes that may generate future controversies.https://revistes.ub.edu/index.php/RBD/article/view/39990euthanasiaassistance to diespainmedical staff |
| spellingShingle | Miguel Paradela López Alexandra Jima-González Analyzing the Spanish Euthanasia Law: Achievements and inconsistencies of the legal assistance to die Revista de Bioética y Derecho euthanasia assistance to die spain medical staff |
| title | Analyzing the Spanish Euthanasia Law: Achievements and inconsistencies of the legal assistance to die |
| title_full | Analyzing the Spanish Euthanasia Law: Achievements and inconsistencies of the legal assistance to die |
| title_fullStr | Analyzing the Spanish Euthanasia Law: Achievements and inconsistencies of the legal assistance to die |
| title_full_unstemmed | Analyzing the Spanish Euthanasia Law: Achievements and inconsistencies of the legal assistance to die |
| title_short | Analyzing the Spanish Euthanasia Law: Achievements and inconsistencies of the legal assistance to die |
| title_sort | analyzing the spanish euthanasia law achievements and inconsistencies of the legal assistance to die |
| topic | euthanasia assistance to die spain medical staff |
| url | https://revistes.ub.edu/index.php/RBD/article/view/39990 |
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