Conscientious objection to assisted suicide. Switching the rule.

Abstract

In the last years the legal weight of the sick person's autonomy has been increasingly promoted, and many countries have today legislations allowing euthanasia and/or assisted suicide within the law. Even though assisted suicide could cause discomfort to the sick person, it has been often preferred, in order to balance the right of doctors to have respected their ethical and deontological principles with that of sick people to put an end to their suffering. In line with the need to keep in balance the deontological rules of medicine and the rights of sick people, it would be appropriate to shift from the current legal framework considering physician assisted suicide as an obligation for the doctor, having the conscientious objection as an exception, to another that does not envisage physician assisted suicide as an obligation of the doctor considering a "conscientious willingness" as an exception.