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Human dignity and patient’s interests above all: assisted dying in Switzerland and the UK

  • Rafif Zarea

    Rafif ZAREA is a PhD candidate at the University of Lille, Law Faculty, where she is part of Centre de recherche Droits et perspectives du droit, Team René Demogue, France. Her research focuses on law and language, including human rights, legal terminology, legal translation, legal culture, and international public law. She also serves as Vice-President of Pour une Planète sans Frontière in Rouen, France

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    and Anne Wagner

    Anne Wagner is Permanent Associate Research Professor at Lille University (France). She holds a Ph.D. in Jurilinguistics – Legal Linguistics from Université du Littoral Côte d’Opale (1999) and an “Habilitation in Private Law” from Lille University (2015). She has been recognized with the National Research Award (Rank A) for her research career and the “Comenda Jurista Tobias Barreto” from the Instituto Brasileiro de Estudos do Direito in Recife, Brazil. Wagner’s research primarily focuses on legal semiotics, visual studies, language and law, legal culture and heritage, legal translation, legal terminology, law and the Humanities, and legal discourse studies. She serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal for the Semiotics of Law, Co-Series Editors for Law and Visual Jurisprudence and Living Signs of Law with Professor Sarah Marusek, Co-Series Editor of Gender, Justice, and Legal Feminism with Angela Condello, and Co-Series Editor of Law, Language, and Communication with Professor Vijay K. Bhatia. Additionally, she is the President of the International Roundtables for the Semiotics of Law (IRSL).

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Published/Copyright: November 11, 2024

Abstract

This paper delves into the complex issue of the right to die with dignity, focusing on assisted dying practices within the legal frameworks of Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It examines the emerging challenges and contradictions that this right presents, especially in relation to the fundamental right to life. Highlighting the nuanced interplay between self-determination and the sanctity of life, the study delineates the ethical, medical, and cultural hurdles associated with euthanasia and assisted suicide. It underscores the necessity for legal systems to remain flexible and adaptable, bridging the gap between static legal texts and dynamic real-world applications. This paper seeks to provide a comprehensive analysis of how both countries manage the delicate balance between protecting human dignity and navigating the ethical complexities of assisted dying.


Corresponding author: Rafif Zarea, Faculty of Law, University of Lille, Lille, France; and ULR 4487 – CRDP – Centre de Recherche Droits et Perspectives Du Droit, University of Lille, Équipe René Demogue, France, E-mail:

About the authors

Rafif Zarea

Rafif ZAREA is a PhD candidate at the University of Lille, Law Faculty, where she is part of Centre de recherche Droits et perspectives du droit, Team René Demogue, France. Her research focuses on law and language, including human rights, legal terminology, legal translation, legal culture, and international public law. She also serves as Vice-President of Pour une Planète sans Frontière in Rouen, France

Anne Wagner

Anne Wagner is Permanent Associate Research Professor at Lille University (France). She holds a Ph.D. in Jurilinguistics – Legal Linguistics from Université du Littoral Côte d’Opale (1999) and an “Habilitation in Private Law” from Lille University (2015). She has been recognized with the National Research Award (Rank A) for her research career and the “Comenda Jurista Tobias Barreto” from the Instituto Brasileiro de Estudos do Direito in Recife, Brazil. Wagner’s research primarily focuses on legal semiotics, visual studies, language and law, legal culture and heritage, legal translation, legal terminology, law and the Humanities, and legal discourse studies. She serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal for the Semiotics of Law, Co-Series Editors for Law and Visual Jurisprudence and Living Signs of Law with Professor Sarah Marusek, Co-Series Editor of Gender, Justice, and Legal Feminism with Angela Condello, and Co-Series Editor of Law, Language, and Communication with Professor Vijay K. Bhatia. Additionally, she is the President of the International Roundtables for the Semiotics of Law (IRSL).

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Received: 2024-05-28
Accepted: 2024-08-31
Published Online: 2024-11-11
Published in Print: 2024-12-17

© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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