Aspectos jurídicos en torno al procedimiento de la eutanasia en Colombia en el año 2018

Abstract

Euthanasia is a practice that has developed since the beginning of civilization. It is a procedure that terminates an individual's biological functions for the purpose of eliminating suffering or pain that cannot be effectively treated. This procedure is carried out after the express manifestation of the will of the passive subject. In that order of ideas, the present article contains a series of reflections about the elements that configure this practice and, specifically, those of a legal nature. In Colombia, this issue has been the subject of debates that are frequently revived. 3 The arguments for and against it have guided both the legislator and the Constitutional Court in a series of actions that today shape the regulation of euthanasia as a practice charged with pity and compassion for those who suffer. The objective of this article is to show the importance of these debates and the way in which the Colombian legal system assumes euthanasia as a compassionate act. The main conclusion of this research task is that the right to life and the principle of human dignity must be present in any analysis of euthanasia and assisted suicide. It is from the understanding of these two concepts that the actions of the State in relation to the various cases in which euthanasia and suicide are investigated are constituted