End-of-life healthcare decisions, ethics and law: the debate in Spain.
The debate on euthanasia in Spain has been ongoing from the beginning of the 20th century and remains extant. Three periods can be identified: prior to 1978, 1978-2002, and after 2002. The debate increased significantly after the Ramon Sampedro case (1995-1998), and was fuelled with new, although very different cases, such as those of Leganés (2005-2008), Jorge Leon (2006) or Inmaculada Echevarria (2006-2007). As a consequence of these cases in 2008 the Regional Government of Andalusia started a legal process to pass a law regulating end-of-life decisions, excluding euthanasia and assisted-suicide, which was finally enacted in 2010. Two other Spanish regions (Navarra and Aragón) passed similar laws. The central government also initiated a legal process to approve a national law, excluding euthanasia and assisted-suicide. The project failed because of the dissolution of the Parliament in June 2011. The new government will have to decide how to continue the process.
Andalusian School of Public Health, Granada, Spain. pablo.simon.easp@juntadeandalucia.es
Pablo
P
Simón-Lorda
Inés M
IM
Barrio-Cantalejo
D005065:Euthanasia / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D013030:Spain; D017236:Suicide, Assisted / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*