Planning the end: assisted dying

view on Economist Espresso

Nov 22nd 2018

Planning the end: assisted dying

• assisted dying 安乐死；辅助死亡

1. Today Britain’s Supreme Court meets to determine whether a man with motor neurone disease, who requires assistance to breathe and eat, can die with his doctors’ help once he has six months or less to live.

• neurone “neuron”的单数,神经细胞；神经原

2. This is illegal in Britain, as in most countries.

3. Many believe assisted dying undermines the sanctity of human life, or could be used by people trying to save families the cost of expensive palliative care.

• sanctity 神圣性；圣洁性
• palliative 减轻(疼痛等)的；缓和的；辩解的

4. Others argue that it serves dignity and autonomy.

• dignity 尊严；高贵；尊贵；庄严
• autonomy 自主性；自律；自治性

5. Canada, Colombia and a few European countries now allow some form of physician-assisted dying, chiefly for terminally ill patients, as do a handful of American states (plus Victoria, Australia, from next year). In the most permissive places—such as Belgium and the Netherlands—the right to die is extended to those with incurable mental suffering.

• physician-assisted dying 医生辅助死亡
• a handful of 少数
• permissive 放任的；纵容的；姑息的
• incurable 不能治愈的；不能改变的；无法矫正的

6. The UN is debating enshrining a death of one’s choosing as a human right.

• debate 辩论；讨论；考虑
• enshrine 把…置于殿内祀奉；把…安置在龛内；秘藏

7. The tide is turning in favor of self-determination.

• tide 潮流；趋势；动向
• in favor of 支持；赞同
• self-determination 国家或地区及其人民的）自决权；（个人）自主权

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出生不能由自己决定，死亡能自己决定吗？

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