Euthanasia – A Legal or Medical Issue: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Euthanasia is a highly controversial issue which keeps the scientific community and the general public divided into those in favour and those opposed to this manner of terminating a person’s life. Ethical, medical, legal, religious and other reasons are used both to justify its legalisation and to argue against it. The main question which attracts differing opinions is whether—beside the right to life as the universal and most important right recognised by the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms—there is the right to die, implying that a person could choose how and when to end their life. The author of the paper analyses several issues. In addition to the introduction which considers the right to life in general, and in the light of international documents, the paper deals with the concept of euthanasia and its historical development, as well as the types of euthanasia. This is followed by an overview of the positions of the proponents and the opponents of the legalisation of euthanasia. Finally, the paper discusses the various ways in which euthanasia is regulated in contemporary criminal legislation