Abstract
National differences in end of life regulation are mirrored only partly in the attitudes of lay persons and influenced by the religious views and personal experiences of those being affected. Based on respect for autonomy, lay persons in non-religious groups in both countries argue for possibilities of euthanasia in severe cases, but caution against its possible misuse. National contrast was apparent in the moral reasoning of lay respondents concerning the distinction between withholding and withdrawing treatment. Modern religious lay persons in Israel argued strongly against allowing the withdrawal of treatment based on a patient’s wish, by referring to the halakhic tradition.
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- 1.
We differentiate between withholding of treatment (not administering it when indicated) and withdrawing treatment (stopping already started treatment; e.g., stopping artificial ventilation), which are summarized under the German term “passive Sterbehilfe” (passive euthanasia) as two ways of letting a patient die. Furthermore, we discuss physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia as two acts that aim at deliberately ending a person’s life. In the first case the act is done by the patient himself (e.g., applying a deadly dose of treatment); in the second case the application is administered by a physician.
- 2.
We did not ask terminally ill patients themselves to participate since discussing end-of-life decisions might have been too tiring, stressful and disturbing for them.
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Raz, A.E., Schicktanz, S. (2016). Lay Attitudes Towards End-of-Life Decision-Making in Germany and Israel. In: Comparative Empirical Bioethics: Dilemmas of Genetic Testing and Euthanasia in Israel and Germany. SpringerBriefs in Ethics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32733-4_7
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