Abstract

ZURRIARAIN, Roberto Germán. Palliative Care: An Ethical Solution Compatible with Human Dignity at the End of Life. pers.bioét. [online]. 2019, vol.23, n.2, pp.180-193. ISSN 0123-3122.  https://doi.org/10.5294/pebi.2019.23.2.2.

It is said that passing laws to legalize euthanasia is absolutely necessary but, in my opinion, it is more pressing to enact a law for the patient to access a universal palliative care service at the end of their life than a law on euthanasia. This article discusses the difference between euthanasia and palliative care. It is affirmed that being in favor of the latter does not mean wanting the patient to be in pain and to suffer, nor extending their life unreasonably. However, opting for palliative care is, on the one hand, what the physician can ethically do as a health worker and, on the other, the only morally acceptable alternative to the natural end of human beings that is appropriate to their dignity. Therefore, palliative care immerses us in an anthropological reflection about our own limitation and fragility, since respect for human life and palliative care dignify the process of dying.

Keywords : Palliative care; euthanasia; sedation; progress; biomedical research; science.

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