El final de la vida como desafío a la ética sanitaria

Abstract

Article 10 of the Spanish Constitution of 1978 recognizes the dignity of the individual, the inviolable rights inherent in it, the free development of personality, respect for the law and the rights of others as the basis of political order and social peace. The rules relating to fundamental rights and freedoms recognized by the Constitution shall be interpreted in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the international treaties and agreements on the same subjects ratified by Spain. Hence, this value of dignity serves as a basis in its analysis for framing a dignified death. On this premise, several doubts are raised regarding the combination of several of the precepts of the Magna Carta, which, in their application to the field of health, can generate discrepancies. We refer, on the one hand, to Article 15, which calls for the proclamation of both the right to life and the right not to be subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment. And on the other hand, we see that this same article 15 confronts the precepts that the Constitution dedicates to the right to personal freedom in its various variants.