RESUMO
The practice of euthanasia in the medical context has a plurality of actors and interests, has ethical issues and the definition of "good death" is complicated. Therefore, it is necessary to be clear about the key concepts in the debate about this practice. But, above all we must ask ourselves to what extent euthanasia or assisted suicide contradicts the medical ethos in contemporary culture, aiming to evaluate the most acceptable medical and ethical options in our pluralistic societies. Only after such reflection and clarification, we will be able to understand the ethical conflicts of this practice and propose the appropriate ethical guidelines.
Assuntos
Humanos , Eutanásia , Suicídio Assistido , Princípios MoraisRESUMO
This paper deals with the phenomenon of the "healthy patient", an ethical issue receiving increased attention at a global level. The genesis of this phenomenon rests in the contradiction between a higher availability of technical and scientific resources for prevention and, paradoxically, the tendency towards an accelerated classification of healthy people as being at risk of developing disease. This manuscript focus on the ethical implications of the "healthy patient", using a theoretical and philosophical approach. Therefore, this research aims to set forth the phenomenon of the "healthy patient" and its fundamental ethical problem, interpreting it as a contradiction between the perennial goal of medicine to maintain and promote health and the increasing use of technology. Thus, it can be hypothesized that the early classification of individuals as subjects at risk is a problem of time. Finally an interpretation from a philosophical point of view will be presented to offer a better understanding of the ethical problem of the "healthy patient" and to elucidate possible strategies of action for physicians and their patients.