PRAVNO REGULISANjE EUTANAZIJE U ŠPANIJI I NEKIM ZEMLjAMA EVROPSKE UNIJE

Abstract

Humanism or altruism, patriotism or any other action that would be motivated, if not by love, at least by care and attention, i.e. empathy or consideration for the interests of others, they are really so rare that they are simply difficult to notice, especially in these harsh times. It's as if we forgot about them. And that is the same, as if they are not there. From the point of view of the individual and the protection of his life, there is no difference. Precisely, although quite superfluous, if there are so many homeless, exiles, refugees, in a word, unfortunate, abandoned, forgotten, "invisible" people who no one cares about, isn't it hypocritical to talk about the community's care for the individual. Nevertheless, respecting the individual and some other segments of human existence, certain forms of reality in certain countries show different, new tendencies, which from the author's point of view can be subsumed under "real solutions" of importance for understanding the relevant problem. So, in that whole story, in its ambiguity and complexity, in the multitude of questions that "open up" in connection with it, the central one is recognized - does a person have the right to a dignified death'? Yes, the position of the Spanish legislator is to allow euthanasia, and it is explicitly formulated in Law LO 2/2021. For example, on October 18, 2021, Spain decided to legalize voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide for people suffering from serious and incurable diseases who want to end their suffering and life. By passing such a law, Spain has become the fourth country in Europe to allow both forms of ending the life of a dying patient. The paper will, therefore, analyze in more detail the specifics of the legal regulation of euthanasia in Spanish law, and briefly provide a comparative analysis of its criminal law regulation in some other European countries that have decided to regulate this sensitive issue in a different or the same way - through its legalization.