The subject of this Paper is „The right to life regulation under the European Convention on Human Rights“. The right to life is the most basic human right. It is guaranteed under many international conventions and it is protected by constitutions of all states of the world. The right to life is the first right guaranteed in the European Convention of Human Rights. Scope of this right has changed during the years. It was strongly influenced by the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights.

The right to life has properly been characterized as an inherent and as the supreme human right, since without effective guarantee of this right, all other rights of the human being would be devoid of meaning. One of the most controversial issues related to this right is the one of the death penalty. For a very long time death penalty was considered as one of the exceptions to the right to life. Therefore, when most of the universal and regional human rights documents were adopted death penalty was still used as a form of punishment in most of the countries worldwide. While attention to the protection of human rights has recently increased, the status of death penalty in international law became very ambiguous. The aim of this thesis is firstly to analyze and compare the content of the right to life in the documents of the different human rights systems. Secondly, to answer the question whether there is universal understanding of this fundamental right. This thesis consists of the introduction, three chapters and the conclusions. The first chapter deals with the general features of the right to life and its position in the context of the other rights. In addition, it approaches the problem of the death penalty. The second chapter consists of the comparative analysis of the universal and regional (European and Inter – American) human rights systems. In the third chapter, decisions of the supreme courts of different countries, which represent different human right systems, are... [to full text]

The European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) was adopted in 1950. One of the most important rights established therein is the right to life, which can be found in article 2. The purpose of this thesis is to examine how far the scope of this right reaches concerning the beginning and the end of life. This is mainly done by examining the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights (“the Court”) which is set to monitor the observance of the rights. To make this thesis manageable, the three areas of abortion, euthanasia and the death penalty have been chosen as the starting-point of the examination. The position of the three areas among the member states varies. Abortion and euthanasia have been regarded by the Court as sensitive areas in which the states have a wide margin of appreciation to decide on their own. This is much due to the lack of consensus within the states as to how they should be regulated. Whether the unborn foetus is protected by the Convention and in such case to what extent is still in dispute. This is also the case concerning when life begins. The Court has stated that any right the foetus may possess is limited by the rights of the mother. They have also said that they do not want to impose a certain view on the member states. The Commission has stated that if the foetus would have an absolute right to life under the Convention, then it would lead to serious implications for the mother, as she would not be able to have an abortion in any circumstance. Also, in Vo v. France one of the dissenting judges stated that the foetus’ right to life have to be narrower in scope than the right of the born. In the case Pretty v. the United Kingdom the Court unanimously ruled that article 2 does not include a right to die. However some member states, like the Netherlands, have made euthanasia legal without being found to violate its obligations under the Convention. Consequently, it does not seem to be against the Convention for states to make their own legislation allowing for euthanasia to be practiced. One important aspect to this debate is whether one considers life to be inalienable or not. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has said that even though the rights of the terminally ill should be respected, it does not mean that one has the right to die at the hands of someone else. The Court has also said that in this area, it is important to protect those vulnerable from being used, and therefore states have the right to legislate against euthanasia. The situation is different when it comes to the death penalty. Two additional protocols have been adopted restricting or completely abolishing the penalty since the adoption of the Convention. In 1950 there was no possibility to exclude the right to use the death penalty from the Convention since many European states still retained it in their domestic laws. However, the development since has moved towards a complete abolition. This is for instance evident since aspiring members of the Council of Europe have to be willing to abolish the penalty to be accepted. The Court has dealt with the death penalty in several cases. In Soering v. the United Kingdom they said that extraditing someone to a state where he or she risks being executed not automatically means a violation of the right to life or the prohibition of torture. In Öcalan v. Turkey they established that the imposition of the death penalty after an unfair trial was a violation of article 3. Also, they considered the death penalty to now be regarded as an unacceptable punishment in peace time. Abolition of the death penalty is something the Council of Europe has worked for in decades to realise.

LL.M. / The right to life, which is guaranteed in section 11 of the Constitution, is a particularly important right in South Africa, especially seen in the light of the human rights violations of the apartheid-era. Firstly, this study conducts an analysis of the right to life and attempts to establish who the bearers of the right are; what the protected conduct and interests of the right are; who is bound by the right and what their responsibilities are; and whether the right can legitimately be limited in terms of section 36 of the Constitution. However, when we analyse the right to life in this way, certain problematic and controversial issues become apparent. Two of these issues are discussed in this study – namely abortion and euthanasia and assisted suicide. Before these issues can be adequately addressed, however, the study takes a stance on the value of human life, which forms the moral framework for the discussion of the specific issues. However, the primary focus of the study is the analysis of the specific issues relating to the right to life. The terminology relevant to the respective issues is discussed and the current legal position, including relevant case law and legislation, with regard to the issues is indicated. The arguments, counter arguments and alternative approaches to the issues are discussed and criticized, and consideration is given to the question to what extent the right to life, in cases of abortion and euthanasia, can legitimately be limited if the principled stance regarding the value of human life is accepted. In addition, some other jurisdictions’ experiences of and responses to these issues are also discussed. Finally the study concludes that human life (in all its forms) deserves the full respect and protection of the law, regardless of the quality of life or the capabilities of the individuals whose lives are at stake. Furthermore it is submitted that the state and every member of society has a special responsibility to respect and protect the most vulnerable and marginalised members of our community – instead of suggesting ‘quick fixes’ to desperate people.

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States of America, there has been a shift in the policies of many countries to combat terrorism. Terrorism has had a devastating effect on many. These include „the enjoyment of the right to life, liberty and physical integrity of victims. In addition to these individual costs, terrorism can destabilise Governments, undermine civil society, jeopardise peace and security, and threaten social and economic development.‟ All of these also had a real impact on the enjoyment of human rights. Therefore the fight to curb further terrorist attacks is paramount. States are charged with the responsibility of curbing terrorism by their citizens. But with responsibility comes obligations to the citizenry. States should therefore not engage in policies or actions that further deprive others of their enjoyment of human rights. This is well put by Hoffman when he says „history shows that when societies trade human rights for security, most often they get neither.‟ / Thesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa)) -- University of Pretoria, 2010. / A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Law University of Pretoria, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Masters of Law (LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa). Prepared under the supervision of Mr. Lukas Muntingh at the Community Law Centre, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa. 2010. / http://www.chr.up.ac.za/ / Centre for Human Rights / LLM

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Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Ethical considerations of the human embryo have involved heated dispute and seem always to result in the same interminable debate. A history of this debate, however, shows a shift in the language used to distinguish between degrees of moral status – while the debate once focused on the presence or absence of “human life,” now it is more likely to hear whether the qualifications for “personhood” have been met. In other words, any member of the human species may deserve some level of respect, but only the “persons” deserve full moral respect. This leaves open the possibility for a human being who is not actually a person – a “nonperson human being.” As an answer to the question of exactly what kind of respect to give the human embryo, Aristotelian moral philosophy offers a unique perspective, one which is distinctive from the familiar debate. Aristotle’s concept of ergon, or function, is a key to understanding what is essential in any human being, because it reveals the importance of potentiality to our nature as rational beings. A philosophical view of function, combined with the data of modern embryology, makes the case that our proper function is the vital part of who we are as human beings, and that a disruption of human function constitutes a true harm. This thesis contrasts Aristotelian proper human function with the modern understanding of a “nonperson human being,” especially as articulated within the ethical theory of Peter Singer. This understanding of function, revealing the essence of human potential and linked with human development, offers a sort of “common-sense morality” response to modern views on personhood.

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Within the fight against terrorism, conflicts may arise between the interest of the state to maximize the effectiveness of methods of combating terrorism and the international standard of human rights. One of the methods that some states carry out to combat terrorism is targeted killing. Legitimate effort of states to suppress terrorism and may not lead to violations of human rights. The thesis aims to answer the question: "Is targeted killing a permissible method of combating terrorism, in terms of the lex lata of human rights law, humanitarian law and rules for the use of force between states?" Regarding the methodology of the thesis I was inspired by the books: "Vědecká propedeutika pro právníky" by Viktor Knapp," Metodologie vědy" by František Ochrana and "Jak studovat politiku" by Peter Drulák. The thesis consists of four chapters. The objective of the first chapter is descriptive. The first chapter should clarify the terminology and content of key concepts. The content of the second chapter is an analysis of the legality of targeted killings under human rights law. The third chapter examines the conditions of legality of targeted killings in humanitarian law. Chapter Four deals with the admissibility of targeted killings in the light of law of interstate force. Through an analysis of...

Submitted by Fabricia Fialho Reginato (fabriciar) on 2015-07-04T00:00:25Z No. of bitstreams: 1 RosaneForest.pdf: 1311699 bytes, checksum: 98f823f467afa65db09a79b83c9a0b2b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-07-04T00:00:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RosaneForest.pdf: 1311699 bytes, checksum: 98f823f467afa65db09a79b83c9a0b2b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Nenhuma / As últimas décadas foram marcadas pelo crescente avanço tecnológico em praticamente todos os setores da sociedade, no entanto, no que diz respeito a vida em seu mais amplo conceito, as maiores conquistas podem ser observadas na área médica. A biotecnologia merece especial atenção em razão do poder que exerce sobre a vida humana desde a concepção até o pós-morte. É nesse contexto que as limitações do sistema jurídico despontam, já que o direito não é capaz de responder a avalanche de questões produzidas pela moderna prática médica e seu poder de interferência no decurso natural do processo de vida e de morte. A presente dissertação pretende induzir uma reflexão sobre o direito à vida e o direito à saúde – lidos em sua mais abrangente concepção - bem como situá-los em meio a sociedade contemporânea, traduzida, como uma sociedade biotecnológica e paradoxal, já que ao mesmo tempo em que valora a essência humana, busca na tecnologia preencher as limitações e as imperfeições tipicamente humanas. O estudo objetiva tratar da terminalidade da vida, no tocante a morte digna, fundamentada no princípio da autonomia, nas questões que se referem à terapias de prolongamento da vida, em pacientes fora da expectativa de cura. A base referencial encontra amparo nos Direitos e princípios fundamentais, no entanto, a pesquisa se dará de forma transdisciplinar, utilizando autores que refletem sobre o tema vida e direito na perspectiva da bioética, da sociologia e da filosofia. Importa mencionar que a morte digna aqui tratada se dará tão somente na esfera das questões de prolongamento da vida em enfermos considerados medicamente fora da expectativa de cura, qualquer outra forma de utilização deste instituto, não será objeto do estudo em questão, que também não se enredará pelas discussões de cunho religioso. Embora seja relevante uma análise comparativa sobre a condução do tema em países da América do Norte, Europa e América do Sul, a temática será desenvolvida sob a perspectiva do Direito brasileiro. / The last few decades have been marked by increasing technological advances in virtually all sectors of society, however, with regard to life in its broadest sense, the greatest achievements can be observed in the medical field. Biotechnology deserves special attention because of the power it exerts over human life from conception until after death. In this context, the limitations of the legal system emerge as the law is not able to answer the flood of questions produced by modern medical practice and its power to interfere in the natural course of life and death process. This thesis aims to present a reflection on the right to life and the right to health - read in its broadest conception - and set them in the midst of contemporary society, translated as a biotech company and paradoxical, since while in which values human essence, seeks to fill the technology limitations and typically human imperfections. The study aims to treat the terminally life, touching dignified death, based on the principle of autonomy, in matters which relate to the life-prolonging therapies in patients beyond the expectation of cure. The reference base is confirmed by the fundamental rights and principles, however, the survey will transdisciplinary way, using authors who reflect on the issue of life and law from the perspective of bioethics, sociology and philosophy. Worth mentioning that the dignified death treated herein shall solely in the realm of prolonging life issues in medically ill considered outside the expectation of cure, any other use of the institute, will not be subject of the study in question, which also does not net you the discussions of a religious nature. Although relevant comparative analysis on the conduct of the subject countries in North America, Europe and South America, the theme will be developed from the perspective of Brazilian law.