Assisted death in the light of Spiritism: a bioethical analysis of the spiritist doctrine on the end of life
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2317-2770.v30i1e-237958Keywords:
Death, Assisted, Spiritualism, Bioethics, Palliative Care, SpiritualityAbstract
In light of the Spiritism doctrine, assisted death – in the forms of euthanasia or assisted suicide – constitutes a premature interruption of the natural course of corporeal existence, interfering with the divine mechanisms that govern the moral and spiritual progress of human beings. Based on Allan Kardec’s teachings, Spiritism understands life as a divine loan granted for the improvement of the spirit, with suffering serving as an educational and expiatory tool in the individual evolutionary process. Amid the tensions between secular bioethical principles – especially autonomy – and spiritual responsibility, dialogue between traditional bioethics and an expanded bioethics that includes transcendence as a legitimate dimension of human experience is essential. Spiritism proposes an ethical and compassionate model of care, grounded in integrative palliative care, spiritual listening, and respect for the journey of the spirit, promoting a conscious and spiritually meaningful death.
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