Do We Have a Right to Die?
Do We Have a Right to Die?
Do We Have a Right to Die?
Roundtable discussion on euthanasia and assisted suicide
Euthanasia and assisted suicide became a hot topic in Hungary, after a young human rights lawyer, who was diagnosed with ALS disease, filed a petition at the European Court of Human Right in order to change the relevant Hungarian legal regulation. Our guest speakers will discuss the most pressing moral, philosophical, medical, and legal questions concerning this emotionally challenging topic.
As John Wyatt writes in his book on assisted suicide: “Death and dying are not comfortable topics for discussion. They raise uneasy questions and anxieties, reminding us of our own frailty and vulnerability, and opening up fears about the impending loss of our loved ones. (…) Just as we can’t escape being confronted with death and dying in our personal lives, so also in the public arena these topics have taken on a strategic importance. (…) What are the forces that are driving a demand for a change in the law? Is it about individual choice and control over our lives – what philosophers refer to as ‘autonomy’? Or is it about the prevention of suffering? Should medical killing be restricted only to those with terminal illness, or to all who are facing hopeless and unbearable suffering? Is it possible to construct a law which has an internal logical consistency and is at the same time robust and safe in practice? Of course, these are much more than philosophical, political or legal issues. We must never forget the personal tragedies and fears that lie behind the public debates.” (John Wyatt: Right to Die?)
Participants:
John Wyatt (University of Cambridge)
Nigel Biggar (University of Oxford)
József Kovács (Semmelweis University)
Moderator:
Márton Csapodi (Mathias Corvinus Collegium)
Organiser: MCC Center for Constitutional Politics
Date: 15 February 2024, 5.00pm
Venue: MCC Scruton, 1113 Budapest Tas vezér u. 3-7.