[Euthanasia and physician assisted suicide: what is the problem?]

Area of Science:

• Medical Ethics
• End-of-Life Care
• Legal Medicine

Background:

• Patients with intractable suffering often seek euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide.
• The decision for assisted death arises when illness is incurable, suffering unrelievable, and the patient is mentally competent.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the primary arguments opposing the legalization of physician-assisted death.
• To explain the limited availability of legal physician-assisted dying options globally.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of ethical and legal arguments.
• Analysis of existing legislation and medical guidelines on end-of-life choices.

Main Results:

• Key arguments against legalization include sanctity of life, potential for abuse, and the role of the physician.
• Societal and professional objections contribute to the restricted legal status of physician-assisted death.

Conclusions:

• The debate surrounding physician-assisted death involves complex ethical, legal, and medical considerations.
• Understanding the arguments against legalization is crucial for policy discussions on end-of-life care.