Legalización de muerte médicamente asistida: discusión sobre el potencial impacto en el desarrollo de cuidados paliativos
Date
2020
Type:
Article
item.page.extent
item.page.accessRights
item.contributor.advisor
ORCID:
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
item.page.isbn
item.page.issn
item.page.issne
item.page.doiurl
item.page.other
item.page.references
Abstract
In Chile, there are four bills to legalize euthanasia, an act which public
surveys report as supported by most of the population. At the legislative, healthcare and social level, there is an active debate about euthanasia, the rights of
terminally ill patients and the context of Palliative Care (PC) in the country.
Chilean literature on euthanasia focuses mainly on the ethical analysis of the
act itself but does not address the moral legitimacy of the legalization of this
practice. This distinction is relevant since the probity of a particular action does
not determine the moral legitimacy of its implementation at a public policy level.
One aspect of this dimension is the potential negative impact of the legalization
of physician-assisted death (PAD) on the development of PC services. This issue
is particularly relevant in Chile, where PC provision is currently suboptimal and
mostly restricted to cancer patients. This paper analyses available evidence on the
potential impairment of PC development after PAD legalization. Although the
analysis of evidence has some limitations, this concern is not supported by the
available evidence. However, any project about PAD legalization must contemplate a factual commitment with the development of minimum PC provision,
according to international recommendations.
Description
item.page.coverage.spatial
item.page.sponsorship
Citation
Revista Médica de Chile, 2020, vol.148(5): 665-673
Keywords
Cuidados médicos, Euthanasia, Palliative Care, Palliative Medicine, Suicide, Assisted