Non-Maleficence as a Fundamental Ethical Barrier to Euthanasia Legalization: A Critical Analysis

Strehovec, Tadej (2025) Non-Maleficence as a Fundamental Ethical Barrier to Euthanasia Legalization: A Critical Analysis. CENTRAL EUROPEAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW. ANNUAL THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL (2). pp. 55-65. ISSN 3057-9619

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Abstract

This paper explores non-maleficence as a key moral ground against euthanasia and assistedsuicide legalization. Applying critical approaches to foundational bioethics literature, medicalprofessions’ stances, and empirical knowledge from jurisdictions with legalized euthanasia,this paper indicates that physician participation in intentional death is in direct violation of the“do no harm” principle that characterizes medical practice. Slovenia’s 2025 legalization offerstoday’s context for thinking through how non-maleficence acts as a moral safeguard againstthe shift in medicine from healer to death-dispensing profession. The case analysis shows thatthe empirical findings in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Canada support slippery slope concernsabout medicine—a concern that has been shown to threaten vulnerable populations with increased risks when euthanasia becomes medicalized. The paper argues that non-maleficenceis the most important ethical principle to oppose euthanasia legalization as it preserves professional medical integrity and human dignity.

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