Archiv für Kriminologie
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Archiv für Kriminologie · Nov 2012
Historical Article[Legal issues of physician-assisted euthanasia part I--terminology and historical overview].
Under German criminal law, euthanasia assisted by the attending physician involves the risk of criminal prosecution. However, in the absence of clear legal provisions, the law concerning euthanasia has been primarily developed by court rulings and jurisprudential literature in the last 30 years. According to a traditional classification there are four categories of euthanasia: help in the dying process, direct active euthanasia, indirect active euthanasia and passive euthanasia. ⋯ However, the German Bundestag became active for the first time as late as in 2009 when it adopted the 3rd Guardianship Amendment Act, which also contains provisions on the legal validity of a living will independent of the nature and stage of an illness. In spite of the new law, an analysis of the "Putz" case makes it especially clear that the criminal aspects of legal issues at the end of a person's life still remain controversial. It is to be expected that this issue will remain the subject of intensive discussion also in the next few years.