Existential suffering and autonomy: Contributions to the debates on euthanasia and medically assisted suicide in Argentina

Salud Colect. 2026 Mar 9;22:e5970. doi: 10.18294/sc.2026.5970.

ABSTRACT

This article arises from the need to critically reflect on the subjective experience of those who request euthanasia, as well as on the ethical tensions between the conceptual clarity required by legal regulation and the specific, unquantifiable dimensions of human experience linked to suffering and fragility. In this sense, this essay seeks to contribute to current debates on the topic through the conceptual tools offered by moral philosophy, particularly Charles Taylor’s analyses of the construction of the self and Paul Ricoeur’s reflections on the notion of autonomy. Taking as a point of departure the draft bills presented in Argentina between 2021 and 2024 to regulate euthanasia and medically assisted suicide, we draw on the contributions of these authors to critically examine two issues we consider ethically and legally significant for such proposals: (1) existential suffering as grounds for requesting euthanasia, and (2) the intersection between autonomy and fragility as defining horizons of the subject of rights.

PMID:42035429 | DOI:10.18294/sc.2026.5970