The Right To Die? Ethics, Suffering And Human Dignity At The End Of Life

Date: 22 October, Thursday | Time: 11:00 - 12:30 | Venue: Academia Auditorium

Speakers: Prof Richard Huxtable, Prof Lalit Krishna, Asst Prof Crystal Lim & David Garcia

Programme Description: 

This symposium explores the ethical, existential and relational tensions surrounding physician-assisted dying and euthanasia. The session opens with a clip from The Sea Inside, featuring a powerful exchange between a quadriplegic man seeking euthanasia and a priest with similar disability arguing against it.

Using this cinematic encounter as a point of departure, an interdisciplinary panel comprising Richard Huxtable, Lalit Krishna, David Garcia, and the symposium chair will examine questions of suffering, dignity, autonomy, vulnerability and euthanasia from medical law, ethics, spiritual, societal and relational dimensions.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this seminar, participants will be able to:

1.       Explain the central ethical positions surrounding physician‑assisted dying and euthanasia, including arguments related to autonomy, suffering, dignity, vulnerability, and professional duty.
(Bloom’s level: Understand)

2.       Compare and contrast legal, clinical, spiritual, and societal approaches to end‑of‑life decision‑making across different disciplinary and cultural contexts

Target Audience: Healthcare professionals and academics in medicine, humanities and social sciences.

Max. no. of participants: 40