Euthanathic Homicide: Ending of Life or Shortening of Dying?

Abstract

The subject of the article is the analysis of Art. 150 of the Polish Criminal Code – criminal liability for euthanasia. The paper presents arguments indicating a narrow understanding of Art. 150 of the Polish Criminal Code that it penalizes only extreme cases of shortening the dying of a human being. Some arguments for the claim that Art. 150 of the Polish Criminal Code covers a wide spectrum of situations, not limited to accelerating the dying process of the victim, has been also presented. As a result, it has been clarified that the provision of Art. 150 of the Polish Criminal Code applies to all situations of ending the human life at the request of he or she and under the influence of compassion for her or him.