Political-Philosophical Analysis of Suicide Tourism

Abstract

This chapter explores some of the major political-philosophical justifications for and against state interference in suicide tourism. These are divided into five main arguments from the perspective of the state in which assisted suicide is illegal: the idea of state sovereignty; global justice and moral particularism; cosmopolitanism and moral universalism; inter-state moral pluralism; and the notion of common ownership. While these arguments do not necessarily rely on the morality of suicide tourism, their overall evaluation reveals that there are prima facie good reasons against state intervention or for the adoption of a neutral view towards permissive countries. The discussion in this chapter concludes that although there are relatively weak justifications for state intervention in suicide tourism, there are strong justifications for non-intervention.