The issue of euthanasia in Greece from a legal viewpoint

Abstract 

Modern Greek society appears to be split regarding the legalization of euthanasia. The Greek Orthodox Church maintains a negative attitude. Research shows that some forms of euthanasia are carried out “behind closed doors”. There is no specific legal provision. The government avoids bearing the political cost of regulating this marginal issue. According to the dominant view of Criminal Law jurists, some forms of euthanasia are considered permissible de lege lata, under certain conditions. The safety of the concurrence of these conditions, safeguarding of the acceptability of forms that are considered permissible and – mostly – the need to regulate the prohibited forms in exceptional cases, all force the legislators to promptly fill any legal vacuums.

Keywords: Euthanasia, Greek Law, Greek Church, Ethics, Bioethics