Ramón Sampedro (January 5, 1943 – January 12, 1998) was a ship fisherman from Galicia, Spain, who was paralyzed in a diving accident at the age of 25 and fought for his right to an assisted suicide for the next 29 years.
His argument hinged on the fact that he was sure of his decision to die. However, owing to his paralysis, he was physically unable to commit suicide without help. He argued that suicide was a right that he was being denied, and he sought legal advice concerning his right to receive assistance to end his life, first in the courts of Spain, where his case attracted country-wide attention. Eventually, his fight became known worldwide.
Chantal Sébire (January 28, 1955 – March 19, 2008) was a retired 53-year-old French teacher who suffered from esthesioneuroblastoma, a rare and incurable form of cancer, and fought for the right to die through euthanasia.
Sébire lived in Plombières-lès-Dijon, near Dijon, France, and was the mother of three children. In 2000, she was diagnosed with esthesioneuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer of which only 200 cases have been reported in the past 20 years. Sébire refused any treatment at the time of her diagnosis, not wishing to take the risk of the surgery or medications.[1] With time, the cancer burrowed through her sinuses, nasal cavities, and eye socket, leaving her face severely disfigured.[2] She had also lost her sense of sight, taste, and smell[3] and suffered with severe pain that she refused to relieve with morphine due to its side effects, stating, “drugs are chemicals, chemicals are poison, and I won’t make matters worse by poisoning myself.”
Sébire first gained recognition in February 2008 when she made a public appeal to the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, to allow her to die through euthanasia, stating that “One would not allow an animal to go through what I have endured.”.[3] On March 17, 2008, she lost her case in a French court, with the magistrate noting that while French law does allow for the removal of life-support equipment for terminally ill patients, it does not allow a doctor to take action to end a patient’s life. After the decision, Sébire said “I now know how to get my hands on what I need, and if I don’t get it in France, I will get it elsewhere”.[4]
On March 19, 2008, she was found dead in her home.[5] An autopsy conducted on March 21, 2008 concluded that she did not die of natural causes.[6] Subsequent blood tests revealed a toxic concentration of the drug Pentobarbital, a barbiturate that is not available in French pharmacies but is used elsewhere in the world for the purpose of physician assisted suicide.[7]
Sébire’s death revived the debate over euthanasia in France and elsewhere around the world.[8]
Por alguma (nada estranha) razão, não existe versão em Língua Portuguesa de qualquer destas duas entradas.
Mas existe da que define o termo “eutanásia”.
Eutanásia (do grego ευθανασία – ευ “bom”, θάνατος “morte”) é a prática pela qual se abrevia a vida de um enfermo incurável de maneira controlada e assistida por um especialista.
A eutanásia representa actualmente uma complicada questão de bioética e biodireito, pois enquanto o estado tem como princípio a protecção da vida dos seus cidadãos, existem aqueles que, devido ao seu estado precário de saúde, desejam dar um fim ao seu sofrimento antecipando a morte.
Independentemente da forma de Eutanásia praticada, seja ela legalizada ou não (tanto em Portugal como no Brasil esta prática é considerada como ilegal), é considerada como um assunto controverso, existindo sempre prós e contras – teorias eventualmente mutáveis com o tempo e a evolução da sociedade, tendo sempre em conta o valor de uma vida humana. Sendo eutanásia um conceito muito vasto, distinguem-se aqui os vários tipos e valores intrinsecamente associados: eutanásia, distanásia, ortotanásia, a própria morte e a dignidade humana.
Isto (o facto de haver versão portuguesa da definição de eutanásia mas não de dois dos casos mais conhecidos e mediáticos de eutanásia) pode significar uma de duas coisas: ou os wikipedistas lusófonos estão mais preocupados com a teoria do que com a realidade – uma característica portuguesa, sem dúvida – ou os mesmos wikipedistas têm mais o que fazer do que “perder tempo” com factos, essa tremenda chatice, e com pessoas, essa abstracção por vezes inconveniente.
Inclino-me mais, por questões de feitio e quiçá de deformação profissional, para a segunda hipótese.
(isto é uma representação, não imagens reais)
«(…) and suffered with severe pain that she refused to relieve with morphine (…)»
Hesitei em colocar isto no post . Opto por colocar em comentário, porque assim é mais discreto e não desvia as atenções do essencial.
EXISTEM DORES (físicas, bem entendido) QUE NÃO CEDEM A QUALQUER TIPO DE DROGA, NEM MESMO À MORFINA…
Alguns testemunhos (verificáveis) de dor oncológica enquadram-se neste tipo, mas há mais. As neurológicas, por exemplo.