Late-term Abortion and Medical Aid in Dying beyond Individual Autonomy: How to Regulate Practices to Facilitate Living Together?

  • Louise Bernier Faculté de droit, Université de Sherbrooke; Centre de recherche sur la régulation et le droit de la gouvernance, Sherbrooke, Canada
  • Stéphane Bernatchez Faculté de droit, Université de Sherbrooke; Centre de recherche sur la régulation et le droit de la gouvernance, Sherbrooke, Canada
  • Alexandra Sweeney Beaudry Faculté de droit, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3114-2074
Keywords: Late abortion, medical aid in dying, individual autonomy, relational autonomy, intersubjectivity, internormativity, clinical governance
Language(s): French

Abstract

It seems that the implementation of the rights recognised by legislators and courts in the context of late-term abortion and medical aid in dying are, in practice, problematic. Indeed, we are currently in an era where the law places great importance on individual autonomy in the medical field, but where practices and other normativities considerably limit this autonomy. It is therefore appropriate to take a critical look at the concept of autonomy in the context of late-term abortion and medical aid in dying. These observations raise questions about the role and limits of state law when transposed into a clinical context, as well as about the lack of attention paid by the law to the recipients of the norm. The challenge is to ensure that the different norms and values coexist so that the decision-making mechanisms reflect a genuine concern for living together.

Published
2022-06-13
How to Cite
[1]
Bernier L, Bernatchez S, Sweeney Beaudry A. Late-term Abortion and Medical Aid in Dying beyond Individual Autonomy: How to Regulate Practices to Facilitate Living Together?. Can. J. Bioeth. 2022;5:1-15. https://doi.org/10.7202/1089781ar.
Section
Articles