Can society deny the right to die?

The right to die.

Constitutionalizing the "right to die".

Against the right to die.

For some patients, a right to receive euthanasia will not enhance autonomy in the morally relevant sense. Even if these patients choose wisely whether to exercise their right to die, they will still be harmed by having been given it. Perhaps, then, physicians should have permission to administer voluntary euthanasia, but patients should not have a right to receive it.

A right to die.

The existence and extent of a right to die was recently examined by the Court of Appeal in the case of Re J (a minor).' The case adds to the judicial guidance available when decisions have to be taken regarding treatment of severely disabled patients or those who are facing inevitable death. Not all such cases have to be referred to the courts, only those in which the patient is a ward ofcourt....

The right to privacy and the right to die.

Some of the most significant Supreme Court decisions have, in recent years, been based upon a constitutionally protected right of privacy; that is, an individual's right to be free from unwarranted intrusions into his personal affairs. This constitutionally protected right of privacy was first used to protect an individual's rights to use contraceptives, under the theory that the state enforcem...