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The Right to Die without Pain: A Discussion on Euthanasia in France

  • Korean Journal of Medical Ethics
  • Abbr : 의료윤리
  • 2023, 26(2), pp.73-86
  • Publisher : The Korean Society For Medical Ethics
  • Research Area : Medicine and Pharmacy > General Medicine
  • Received : May 9, 2023
  • Accepted : June 11, 2023
  • Published : June 30, 2023

Joetegu 1

1경희대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

In France, public debates and discussions concerning euthanasia began over 20 years with the introduction of palliative care and acceptance of a patient’s right to discontinue life-sustaining treatment. More recent legislation in France allows deep and continuous sedation until death for terminally ill patients who are in extreme pain. The trend in France has been a trend toward greater access to palliative care and a more expansive set of rights and freedoms for patients approaching the end of life. This article summarizes the recent history of French legislation concerning euthanasia and argues that guiding objective in these legislative changes has been formal recognition, not of a patient’s right to die, but of a patient’s right to die without pain. In the conflict between the right to die and the right to life, the French have prioritized the former because what they desire, above all else, is the right to avoid suffering.

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

This paper was written with support from the National Research Foundation of Korea.