A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Medical expertise, existential suffering and ending life




AuthorsVarelius J

PublisherBMJ PUBLISHING GROUP

Publication year2014

JournalJournal of Medical Ethics

Journal name in sourceJOURNAL OF MEDICAL ETHICS

Journal acronymJ MED ETHICS

Volume40

Issue2

First page 104

Last page107

Number of pages4

ISSN0306-6800

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1136/medethics-2012-100812


Abstract

In this article, I assess the position that voluntary euthanasia (VE) and physician-assisted suicide (PAS) ought not to be accepted in the cases of persons who suffer existentially but who have no medical condition, because existential questions do not fall within the domain of physicians' professional expertise. I maintain that VE and PAS based on suffering arising from medical conditions involves existential issues relevantly similar to those confronted in connection with existential suffering. On that basis I conclude that if VE and PAS based on suffering arising from medical conditions is taken to fall within the domain of medical expertise, it is not consistent to use the view that physicians' professional expertise does not extend to existential questions as a reason for denying requests for VE and PAS from persons who suffer existentially but have no medical condition.




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