ÉTICA DE LA MUERTE: DE LA BIO-ÉTICA A LA TÁNATO-ÉTICA

Abstract

The following thoughts are an outline of what could be labeled as 'The Ethics of Death' or Tanato-Ethic". a new concept of Greek origin. Some aspects of this new discipline have been studied up until now as a pan what has become known as Bio-ethics. However, the process of dying as well as the meaning of death for human life is so complex, and there are so many cultural, medical, psychological, educational and jurisdictional factors involved that it is good to further develop this area of moral thinking. What would I v the general aim of this discipline? To establish some ethical principals and moral criteria to guide the decisions that have to be made with regard to a terminally ill person by health care professionals, family and of course by the person himself. Furthermore, this new area of study has to look into some philosophical areas: expanding thoughts about the ethical meaning of the mortal reality of Man on the basis of the history of occidental thinking. As a result of this, the tananto-ethic will have two sections: firstly theoretical: the philosophical search of the ethical implications of the mortal reality of Man. Secondly practical: the analysis of the ethical dimensions surrounding the fact of 'human death' (moral altitudes of the ill. health care professionals and relatives, practical repercussions of the definition of death, euthanasia, life testament, palliative care, the right to know the truth about one's own illness, psychological-moral steps the terminally ill person has to go through, suicide, medical assistance to commit suicide, period of grief, etc.