Information, Decision and Self-Determination: Euthanasia as a Case Study

Abstract

The central notion of this article is that of “decision” as a means to shape one’s life and life biography. Decision is considered to be a prominent feature of contemporary society and the one through which we exercise our autonomy as a right to selfdetermination. Decisions, however, require information. In contemporary society, information is readily available but the effective use of that information often requires the help of others. Furthermore, as decisions transform into action again we often need others. These “others” must decide for themselves whether to help or assist us as an expression of their autonomy. These concepts of autonomy, decision, information and the other are key notions which we need to understand the role of self-determination in our society. We are accustomed to having legal frameworks which guide, facilitate and limit us in selecting information, making decisions and exercising self-determination. In this article the legal framework of euthanasia, as it exists in the Netherlands, is taken as a case study to illustrate the role of information with respect to the notion self-determination. This article explores how the abundance of information available to us in contemporary society has an impact upon the decisions we make and, more often than not, must make.