Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: A Cinematographic Approach to the Death that Hurts the Most
Keywords:
euthanasia, assisted suicide, films, subjectivityAbstract
The aim of this article is to present two different ways in which bioethical issues, like
euthanasia and medically assisted suicide, can be analyzed. On the one hand, vignettes
and case studies serve to reflect upon the moral and normative codes that health and legal
practitioners abide by nowadays. In this way, we present a vignette concerning the death of
French psychoanalyst, Jacques Lacan, and a case study featured in UNESCO’s Casebook on
Informed Consent. However, little does this approach tell us about the singularity of the actors
involved in those stories and their subjective responsibility in the end-of-life decisions they
make. Thus, we propose that films are an excellent tool for gaining a better understanding
on those aspects, which supplement the moral and legal discussions that have long revolved
around euthanasia. Regarding this second approach, we analyze the films You Don’t Know
Jack, The Sea Inside, and Wit
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