The ethics of suffering : modern law, philosophy and medicine

Philosophically, this text aims to express a simple, if forgotten, truth which is expressed in the philosophical work of Emmanuel Levinas: justice (be it state justice or informal one) is not possible without the one that renders it finding himself caught in proximity.

The book examines various situations arising in the context of medical law and medical ethics in both the English and North American contexts.

Looking closely at the suffering involved in controversial legal cases of euthanasia, withdrawal of life support from comatose patients, treating elderly patients without consent and sterilization of incompetent patients, the book engages the law with some of Emmanuel Levinas's key notions.

Moreover, the work attempts to explain the general aspects of judicial policy in relation to patients and doctors.

The author's purpose is to show that the inappropriate use of legal doctrine and the political instrumentalization of medicine can only occur effectively in conditions in which both the legal and medical practices are ethically disorientated.