Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2008. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 46-47).

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Still Lives and Set Pieces is a collection of stories that explore concepts of identity under pressure, using meta-fictional approaches and various formal strategies, such as borrowing structural traits from other styles of composition, to fracture POV and add dimensionality. One tale explodes the few moments immediately following an assisted suicide as the surviving partner starts the slow process of self-redefinition. Another wonders if a composer's search for the right five notes to complete his project has more to it than pitch and rhythm. A third sees two would-be criminals, stuck in time, playing darts in the back room of a nameless pub, while they await word of why they are there and what's to happen to them.

In the medical context, it is an accepted (yet controversial) fact that doctors may sometimes legitimately hasten death when providing palliative care to dying patients. Or even, in relation to treatment decisions leading to withdrawal or omission, some doctors may choose death over life for certain patients and yet we seldom hear of doctors in the dock for intentional killing. Where complicity in suicide is concerned, it seems that the compassionate lay person has little reason to be fearful of criminal reprisal. The question, however, of whether a person suspected of complicity in suicide, or a doctor suspected of intentionally causing the death of a patient, will be greeted by sympathy or condemnation is a legal minefield. A range of diverse legal, moral and circumstantial factors will determine firstly, whether one is prosecuted and secondly, whether one will be subject to juridical disapproval and possible incarceration. This thesis sets out to explore whether continued obfuscation, together with turning a blind eye to possible breaches of the law, is the best approach to the moral dilemma over what should be permitted in assisted dying and end-of-life law. This is not a rhetorical question with a trite answer. Such obfuscation may be viewed as having certain advantages. This thesis explores the legal and ethical issues in the context of recent developments, societal concerns and international influences in order to examine whether the current legal position in respect of homicide and complicity in suicide is tenable. The analysis invites the conclusion that whilst some legal change is both desirable and necessary, any legal reform should seek to facilitate a cautious compromise that reflects the legitimate concerns of those opposed to legal change.

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This dissertation will examine the legality of assisted dying procedures performed in the Republic of South Africa. This is due to the rising awareness about terminal patients’ dignity and autonomy at the end of their life. The physician’s liability, who assists such a patient to end their life, will be examined and whether there is any legal recourse available will be explored. Comparisons will also be made between other legal systems, including Canada, the Netherlands, Oregon of the United States of America and England and Wales. These jurisdictions have been chosen to provide a wide variety of perspectives and possible alternatives that South Africa should take into consideration should parliament or the courts decide to argue the matter. Other sources are also considered, such as the influence of the history and development of the common law crime of murder, as well as the role the Health Professions Council of South Africa will play. Possibly most importantly, the material criminal law of South Africa is thoroughly studied with all forms of assisted dying in mind. This is to establish what kind of liability, criminal or otherwise, a physician might incur should they decide to assist a patient in these circumstances. Lastly, recommendations are made based on the research done throughout this dissertation, which would ideally assist in any future arguments made on the topic. / Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Public Law / LLM / Unrestricted

Bakgrund: Dödshjälp är i dagsläget olagligt i Sverige, men många andra länder har valt att legalisera det. Det finns i dag två olika former, aktiv dödshjälp går ut på att läkaren administrerar den dödliga dosen av läkemedlet samt den assisterade dödshjälpen som går ut på att läkaren skriver ut den dödliga dosen och patienten själv administrerar det. Denna litteraturstudie fokuseras på den assisterade dödshjälpen, där komplexiteten i frågan utgörs av sjuksköterskans etiska ställningstaganden, religiösa aspekter samt patientens rätt till självbestämmande (autonomi). Syfte: Syftet med studien var att sammanställa evidensbaserad kunskap om sjuksköterskans upplevelser av assisterad dödshjälp. Metod: En litteraturstudie där resultaten från 10 vetenskapliga originalartiklar med kvalitativ ansats sammanställdes. Materialet samlades in från databaserna PubMed och Cinahl. Resultat: När resultatet sammanställdes framkom tre huvudteman kommunikations betydelse, patientens autonomi och sjuksköterskans värderingar och åtta subteman. Resultatet belyser hur viktig den personcentrerade vården och teamarbetet mellan sjuksköterskan och andra professioner är vid den assisterade dödshjälpen. Sjuksköterskans motsättningar till den assisterade dödshjälpen var moraliska och etiska aspekter. Slutsats: Sjuksköterskans värderingar kunde vara en motsättning till den assisterade dödshjälpen, men de flesta sjuksköterskorna skulle inte överge sin patient oavsett om denne valde assisterad dödshjälp eller inte.

This thesis seeks to investigate whether the current European Court of Human Rights case-law on assisted suicide can be justified using Kantian or Utilitarian arguments. The theory, consisting of Utilitarianism and Kantianism, is applied to three key cases arguing a right to assisted suicide under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights; Pretty v. the United Kingdom, Haas v. Switzerland and Koch v. Germany. Using argumentation analysis, arguments based on the case-law in combination with the two theories are presented and discussed. In a discussion centered around concepts such as autonomy, utility and rationality, the thesis concludes that the two theories are indeed useful in justifying the case-law on assisted suicide. The observation that the two theories can justify the same actions on different grounds concludes the essay, before ideas encouraging future research are presented.

This research investigated the role religion plays in how individuals view euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. One hundred participants from each of the three major monotheistic world religions were given a seven-question survey. The seven questions consisted of statements regarding the knowledge of their own religion, how the participants feel about terminally ill patients and those who have lost vital functions, and also whether or not they believe euthanasia is morally just. It was predicted that the participants who belong to Judaism and Islam viewed euthanasia as morally just and participants who belong to the Christianity viewed euthanasia as morally incorrect.

Die assistierte Selbsttötung ist gegenwärtig ein kontrovers diskutiertes Thema in Deutschland und besonders für die Ärzteschaft eine Herausforderung. Da viele Aspekte gerade der ärztlichen Suizidhilfe noch völlig unklar sind, wird zunächst ein grundlegender Überblick über die Formen der Sterbehilfe gegeben. In einer Zusammenschau der Debatte und verschiedener exemplarisch ausgewählter Reaktionen wird klar, dass das ärztliche Ethos ein Kernpunkt der Debatte ist. Dabei fällt auf, dass die Vorstellungen zu diesem besonderen beruflichen Ethos stark divergieren. Aus diesem Grund stehen die detaillierte Betrachtung der ärztlichen Suizidhilfe im Kontext des ärztlichen Ethos und die Prüfung der Fragestellung, ob die ärztliche Suizidhilfe dem ärztlichen Ethos widerspricht im Zentrum weiterer Ausführungen. Schließlich wird aufgezeigt, dass die Ablehnung der ärztlichen Suizidassistenz im Namen des ärztlichen Ethos derzeit nicht haltbar ist.