[Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in Argentina and in other countries].
Medical decisions concerning the end of a patient's life have been widely practiced for centuries and there are strong arguments for and against. Advocates typically adduced that terminally ill patients have the right to impose, with physicians' help, their self-determination to avoid extreme suffering and a painful death. Opponents argued that legalizing those practices would not be ethical because it is against the principles of society and the medical profession. During the last years, debates about medical decisions concerning the end of a patient's life have increased in many regions of the planet after these became legal in several countries. In Argentina, those practices are illegal; however, there is evidence that they are frequently practiced. Nevertheless, public discussion on the subject is limited in Argentina. A profound debate on the position of society and physicians concerning terminally ill patients must be initiated.
Servicio de Clínica Médica, Hospital Italiano, Buenos Aires, Argentina. przygoda@iname.com
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D001118:Argentina; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D005065:Euthanasia / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D017236:Suicide, Assisted / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*
La eutanasia y el suicidio asistido en la Argentina y en otros países.