Zabójstwo eutanatyczne – tendencje liberalizacyjne w Europie na przykładzie Belgii

Abstract

The act of euthanasia is a highly controversial issue, both from legal point of view and a perspective of human morality. In today’s Europe, only a few countries, this including the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium have legally regulated this issue of euthanasia officially deeming it as an acceptable practice that is consistent with the law. Furthermore, the parties involved in this action are subjected to no criminal consequences. Recently, a tendency can be observed in Europe to liberalize euthanasia legal regulations. This is particularly apparent in case of Belgium, where the act concerning expansion of subjects that can legally decide to participate in mercy killing is being discussed. The project posits that minors and people suffering from dementia should be given the aforementioned right. This raises multiple questions, for instance – Can a person with impaired judgment capability be able to decide about their life? Where do the borders of parental responsibility lie? How far can they interfere with a minor’s decision to die? It ought to be marked however, that although the liberalization trends discussed in this paper appear in quite a few European countries, it does not necessarily mean that in the near future it will be possible to introduce a common European legislation concerning the issue of euthanasia, which could be legally-binding in all UE members’ legal systems.