The Right to Life, Voluntary Euthanasia, and Termination of Life on Request

In this article, the logical implications of a right to life are examined. It is first argued that the prohibition of Termination of life on request confers an inalienable right to life. A fight is inalienable if it cannot legitimately be waived or transferred. Since voluntary euthanasia entails waiver of the right to life, the inalienability yields that it cannot be justified. Therefore, any ethical position that is in favor of voluntary euthanasia has to argue that the right to life is an inalienable right and accept the conclusion that killing on request is justified.

Conflict and Balance Between the Right to Life and Other Rights

The global COVID-19 pandemic is changing the international order and transforming the lifestyle of the mankind pandemic prevention and control has posed new challenges to the traditional system of basic rights Conflicts between the right to life and other rights, arising from the pandemic prevention and control measures adopted by governments, have triggered academic debates Governments have taken stringent pandemic prevention and control measures to protect the life, health and safety of the public, including restricting their personal freedom, freedom of religious belief as well as freedom in other spheres, with a view to safeguard the right to life In order to prioritize the right to life among the basic rights, its legitimacy basis should be researched on and a reasonable balance should be struck among the right to life, the right to dignity and other freedoms In the post-epidemic era, we should carry forward the human rights culture, optimize the system and mechanism that defend the value of the right to life, and endow the right to life with new connotation and mission.

An Academic Summary of the International Seminar Series on “Safeguarding the Right to Life in the Epidemic Prevention and Control”

Guided by the China Society for Human Rights Studies and organized by Southwest University of Political Science and Law,the First Session of the Series of International Seminars on"Global Epidemic Prevention and Control and Human Rights Protection"was held in Chongqing on May 9,2020.The seminar featured the theme of"Guarantee of the Right to Life in Epidemic Prevention and Control"and two sub-topics:"Value Status and Legal Protection of the Right to Life"and Safeguarding the Right to Life of Vulnerable Groups under the Pandemic".Over 40 experts and scholars from China,the Netherlands,France,Pakistan and Sri Lanka attended the conference,and conducted in-depth discussions on specific issues such as"life supremacy","attributes of the right to life","government responsibilities","protection of vulnerable groups","balance of the right to life and other human rights",and"science-based approaches to epidemic prevention".This conference reaffirmed the key idea of life supremacy,which is conducive to strengthening the safeguarding of and attention to the right to life in the global pandemic prevention and control.

On the Teleological Interpretation of the Right to a Happy Life

In his letter to the symposium commemorating the 70thanniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,General Secretary Xi Jinping put forward that"people’s happy life is the greatest human right".The academic implication of this important exposition is that it puts forward a major concept,the right to a happy life as a human right,in the field of hum an rights.The right to a happy life is the right that people pursue,enjoy and realize a happy life,which belongs to the general right,that is,the"bundle of rights".Teleological interpretation provides a strong defense for the right to a happy life.However,teleological interpretation may bring many risks,which may get the right to a happy life into many dilemmas,such as the loss of dignity due to the degradation of"human"as a tool,the loss ofjustice due to the damage to the human rights of a few individuals or groups,the possible violation of human rights due to the promotion of the expansion of government power,and the difficulty of universal recognition due to differences in the pursuit of happiness and the happiness itself.Therefore,we must adhere to the"people-centered"principle and justice to enhance the government’s serious handling of human rights and reach an overlapping consensus in the pursuit of happiness,so as to restrict the teleological interpretation of the right to a happy life in a rational manner and promote the development of China’s human rights cause.

On the Right to Life

The COVID-19 pandemic is not only the first public health emergency that human beings are jointly faced with, but also the first time that mankind is confronted with a tremendous disaster together To face lives rationally in a pandemic, "criteria" and "rules" need to be regulated by reason Amid such a catastrophe, we need to reply to questions such as whether the right to life should take precedence over other rights and whether each individual’s life should be treated equally, the answers to which, of course, are definitely positive With the advent of a risk society, public health emergencies are no longer occasional incidents Instead, they might become a more frequent problem in the development of modernity In the community with a shared future for human beings, to protect human rights, the humanitarian spirit, the principle of equality and the idea of justice by playing the role of the state will become a new normal in safeguarding the right to life.

Addressing Japan’s disposal of nuclear-contaminated water from the perspective of international human rights law

The discharge of nuclear-contaminated water containing radionuclides into the ocean by Japan will lead to its integration into the entire ecosystem through processes of circulation and biomagnification,eventually entering the human body via the food chain.This poses a substantial risk of irreversible damage to both the ecosystem and human health,a situation that will worsen with the ongoing discharge of such water.The respect and protection of human rights represent an international consensus,and safeguarding fundamental human rights is a substantial obligation that states must undertake in accordance with both international and domestic law.Since the Fukushima nuclear disaster,Japan has continuously violated its international legal obligations to protect human rights in several areas,including the resettlement of disaster victims,the reduction of nuclear radiation levels,and the handling of contaminated water.Such actions have compromised and will continue to compromise the basic human rights of not only its citizens but also those of people worldwide,including environmental rights,the right to life,development rights,and food rights.In the aftermath of the Fukushima meltdown,the public and workers involved in handling nuclear contaminants have been continually exposed to high radiation levels,endangering their rights to life,development,and health.Japan’s inadequate efforts in victim resettlement and environmental restoration have jeopardized the environmental and food rights of its citizens to live healthily and access food in an environment unaffected by nuclear radiation.The release of nuclear-contaminated water poses a risk of Japan’s nuclear pollution to the people of neighboring countries and the global population at large.The principle of human rights underpins the theory of a community with a shared future for humanity,and human rights are a crucial area of China’s active participation in United Nations affairs and global governance.By voicing concerns over Japan’s potential human rights violations globally,China demonstrates its role as a responsible major country.In response to Japan’s breach of legal obligations and human rights violations,China can adopt a reasoned and beneficial approach,including calling on the international community to hold Japan criminally accountable for crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute and advancing scholarly discussions on ecocide and crimes against the marine environment.Furthermore,China should persist in seeking advisory opinions from the International Court of Justice and strive for substantive accountability,utilizing the mechanisms of international human rights organizations to make its voice heard.

2005: Better Protection of Right to Life

The right to life is the essential and most important of all human rights. For an individual, it constitutes the prerequisite for the enjoyment of all other rights to which he or she is entitled. In 2005, the Chinese authorities planned a series of legal measures to provide still more effective protection of the right to life.

On the Right to a Happy Life as a Human Right

A happy life is the pursuit,enjoyment,and realization of ever more complex needs in a circular way under objective conditions In terms of its constituent elements,the right to a happy life,as a human right,not only has the characteristics of moral rights,universal rights,and rights of prevention and cooperation but also contains the three spiritual values of human rights From the perspective of the genealogy of human rights theory,the right to a happy life as a human right is a new human rights bundle with basic,comprehensive,and complex characteristics From the perspective of the basic structure,the right to a happy life,as a human right,constitutes its subject,content,and nature First and foremost,basic human rights stand for consensus at the current primary stage They are fundamental and preliminary,and they are relativistic concepts The largest human right,however,is characterized by complexity,inclusiveness,and systematism,and is an absolute concept From the basic human rights to the largest human rights is a classic expression in different stages of China’s human rights construction It is not only the obligation and commitment in human rights practice,but also a summary of human rights theory,and more importantly,an important theoretical achievement of China’s human rights development in the new era.

On Indiscriminate Bombardment during World War II: Opposition between Human Rights and Human Rights Abuse

Base on the strategic bombardment to destroy willpower of Chinese Anti-Japanese war, in the Second World War, Japanese aircrafts were nondiscriminatorily bombing China’s cities, which committed crimes against humanity. Actually, the US army nondiscriminatorily bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki and damaged the human rights too. The US army, however, speeded up Japanese surrender and protected more people’s rights to life. It is never forgotten that the painful game of protecting and damaging human rights between Japanese militarism and anti-fascist alliance.

Human Rights Challenges Posed by Drone Operations and Countermeasures

Drone strikes are increasingly used in counter-terrorism operations and other military fields,and drones are heralded as the“future of war.”Meanwhile,the use of drones as weapons also brings a series of human rights challenges,mainly reflected in the infringement upon or serious threat to basic rights such as the right to life and the right to a fair trial,leading to a series of imputation problems.In fact,international human rights law is binding on States parties,whether in peacetime or in armed conflicts,and the protection of human rights it provides continues.This requires relevant entities to incorporate this new type of military use into regulation as soon as possible.Meanwhile,based on the principle of respecting national sovereignty,they should abide by the principle of distinction and proportionality,prevent the violation of human rights through abuse of armed drones,reinterpret relevant concepts and principles,gradually develop international standards for the use of drones as weapons,fairly and reasonably determine the responsibilities of various parties,and ensure that the use of new technologies does not negatively affect human rights protection.

保障健康权益 促进卫生改革发展

在当前复杂的国际形势下,健康权正受到严重的破环。本文探讨健康权的内涵以及对我国卫生改革的影响,从世界卫生组织对健康的定义出发,提出健康权在10个方面的表现;撰述生命权和健康权在《中华人民共和国宪法》《中华人民共和国民法通则》以及其他法律法规中的立法依据;展示医疗保险、医疗卫生服务和医药产业3个领域高质量发展在维护生命权、健康权方面获得的成果。卫生改革的目标之一是真正实现群众的健康权,应确保人民群众平等获得优质安全的医疗卫生服务,充分发挥政府作用,出台多种惠民政策,从改善政治、经济、立法、环境等条件出发,减轻全社会的疾病经济负担。应以人民健康为中心,不断提高人民群众的健康水平,为护卫人民群众的生命权和健康权而努力。

Human Rights Jurisprudence in Hospice Care——Thoughts on the Concept and Boundary of “Death with Dignity”

Death with dignity is the embodiment of the dignity of human life in the context of end-of-life medical care.However,in the development of its concept,it has been alienated into a single way of death and is often confused with the concept of euthanasia.It is therefore a theoretical and practical necessity to re-expand the connotations of death with dignity Death with dignity is the subjective value of dignity reflected in the context of dying.It takes equality,freedom,and virtue as the core,and uses the right to life as its external support.It is projected onto the medical context and incorporates the patient’s right to informed consent.Subject to public interest,legal paternalism,and the principles of public order and good customs,the boundary of the right to death with dignity should be between active treatment and natural death,and active euthanasia in the form of giving up the right to life should not be included in the right to death with dignity.

Human Rights Protection and Global Action under the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic——Overview of“2021·China-Europe Seminar on Human Rights”

The COVID-19 pandemic is the largest ever infectious disease facing mankind.It challenges national governance capabilities and international patterns.On June 8,2021,the“2021 China-Europe Seminar on Human Rights”was held in Chongqing,China.Its theme was“COVID-19 Pandemic and the Protection of the Right to Life and Health,”which focused on five topics:the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the protection of the rights to life and health,the response of countries against the pandemic,the protection of the right to life and health of specific groups during the pandemic response,the national responsibility for the protection of the right to life and health in the public health crisis,and global cooperation in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic.The conference reached two consensuses:First,in the face of the pandemic,countries must take responsibility for the people and protect the people’s right to life and health;second,an effective international mechanism for fighting the COVID-19 pandemic must be established as soon as possible.

论食品安全权的权利伦理基质及其价值

在当代权利伦理学和人权伦理学的价值谱系中,食品安全权因其与生命权、发展权以及健康权、怯弱权等的密切关系而有其既基础、本源又核心、根本的价值意义。作为一种集法律权利和道德权利于一体的基本人权,食品安全权既是一种源自人最内在、最常见和最基本的人权,也是人之为人最基本的价值诉求和社会所需要的最基本最核心的价值关怀。生而为人必然具有对生命的珍重、对健康的珍惜,此则构成人最为内在亦最为强烈的生命权和健康权,而生命本身和健康的脆弱性又使人产生了与生命权和健康权相契合的怯弱权。生命权、健康权、怯弱权内在地要求食品安全权。尊重和保护公民的食品安全权既是生命权的价值诉求,也是怯弱权和健康权的集中表现。食品安全权因其特有的基础性、本原性权利诉求和价值追求必然成为当代权利伦理学和人权伦理学以及人本主义伦理学、人道主义伦理学和生命伦理学价值大厦的“拱心石”和“顶梁柱”。

台湾地区安宁疗护立法的改革与启示

历经近30年实践,台湾地区已形成较为成熟的安宁疗护立法。为克服改革前“安宁缓和医疗条例”的适用困境,2019年开始在岛内施行的“病人自主权利法”通过扩大安宁疗护的适用范围、明确病人最新医疗意愿的认定依据和设定安宁疗护决策执行中的医方免责情形,支持特定临床条件下的非末期病人预先做出安宁疗护决策。从实施效果看,改革后的台湾地区安宁疗护立法在保障病人善终权益、促进医患关系等方面更具优势,但在可行性上仍有不足。以台湾地区制度实践的得失为参照,中国内地应在患者权利保护法的框架下推进安宁疗护立法,并在立法理念上强调以协助决定范式促进临终患者医疗自主的实现。以此为基础,中国内地立法原则上应将安宁疗护的适用对象限定为末期患者,承认患者的拒绝维生医疗权,在患者安宁疗护意愿的认定和执行环节体现对医方专业自主的尊重,并结合监护制度完善安宁疗护的替代决策规则。

The Rights Logic of Common Prosperity:Structure,Evolution,and Path to Implementation

The concept of common prosperity embodies the right of the people to a happy life,which is in line with General Secretary Xi Jinping’s proposition that“the people’s happiness is the greatest human right.”Its rights structure has the attributes of collective rights,reflecting the people’s pursuit of material civilization,spiritual civilization,harmony,beauty,and other social values.The realization of these rights is based on individual diligent labor and also entails human rights responsibilities of the state and society.Since the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee,China has pursued the basic policy of reform and opening-up,dismantling institutional barriers that hindered the development of productivity and the full realization of rights.This has stimulated the initiative,enthusiasm,and creativity of the people in their endeavors and entrepreneurship,leading to a historic leap from standing up to becoming prosperous.The living standards of the people have greatly improved.In the new journey toward achieving the second centenary goal,China should follow the important discourse of General Secretary Xi Jinping on respecting and protecting human rights,take the path of socialist human rights with Chinese characteristics,and better meet the growing aspirations of the people for a better life in the pursuit of high-quality economic development.

中国推广安宁疗护的正当性研究

安宁疗护是推进医疗卫生领域现代化建设的重要一环,通过尊重自然人在生命最后的决定权,避免过度医疗带来的痛苦,是保障公民生命末期生命尊严的重要形式。但由于安宁疗护的实施过程涉及放弃维生治疗,导致在实践中存在概念误区、伦理争议与法律风险等问题。安宁疗护的概念服务于人权本身,其服务内容旨在保障公民生命末期的人格尊严,其推广具有人权正当性。因此,各级政府应从加强死亡教育、探索知情同意基础上的生前预嘱制度、完善相关配套制度和建立专门研究咨询机构等方面入手,发展完善安宁疗护服务,增进保障公民“全周期”生命质量与尊严。

数字包容社会中老龄“数字难民”权利的保护

随着数字技术的快速发展,移动支付、网上预约、便民服务等智能化、数字化生活场景已经在全社会普及。然而,部分老年人却无法充分享受便捷、高效的数字生活,他们成了数字社会的“难民”。从本质上讲,老年人的数字困境是权利困境。保障老年人的数字化生活权,是建设数字包容社会的重要内容。文章认为,老龄“数字难民”权利保护面临理论、意识、立法及救济等困境,需要采取数字权利理论研究、培育老年人数字权利素养和意识、完善立法、明确国家责任和义务、创新数字权利保护模式等策略,以期帮助老年群体跨越数字鸿沟,平等共享数字发展成果。

《民法典》保障老年人合法权益的规范分析与实施路径

《民法典》补全老年人行为能力,为老年人从家庭生活进入到社会生活提供基础性保护,并为积极应对人口老龄化提供有效手段,标志着我国老年人权益保障进入“民法典时代”。《民法典》的规定具有普遍性、基础性,为保障老年人合法权益提供了基本前提,《老年人权益保障法》则在《民法典》的基础上,结合老年人的其他合法权益,将老年人权益保障的有关规定予以落实,以实现对老年人的特别保护。但《民法典》与《老年人权益保障法》并非简单的一般法和特别法的关系,一方面《民法典》为老年人权益保障“奠基”,即为老年人重新进入社会提供基本法律条件,同时从民事生活的角度为老年人提供权利保障,另一方面,《民法典》与《老年人权益保障法》以及其他法律协力保护老年人合法权益,为老年人参与政治、经济、文化、社会等提供保障,以实现“老有所养、老有所医、老有所为、老有所学、老有所教、老有所乐”。对于《民法典》中有关老年人权益保障的基础性规定,还须加强有针对性的法治宣传,并有待行政法、司法解释等对其进行细化规定,老年人权益保障要求行政机关的积极作为,还需要在程序法上设置与弱势群体相配套的行权“轨道”。

价值链视域下数据确权机制研究

在大数据时代背景下,数据确权成为推动市场发展和数据流通、确保数据收益、实现数据安全的重要力量,因此数据确权体系制度急需完善。基于复杂信息环境,从数据价值链的视角,探索数据确权机制。首先,基于以往的价值链及数据价值链研究成果,构建涉及数据获取、数据处理、数据分析、数据应用等数据全生命周期发展的价值链模型。然后,参照“效应—机理—综合—机制”(EMAM)管理研究方法论,构建数据确权机制,并梳理出数据确权涉及的多种主体、客体及权利束,为数据确权基本制度的建立提供参考,提出相关建议,包括建立分类分级标准体系,保障数据确权交易安全;完善数据确权制度体系,优化数据要素市场生态;创新数据确权管理工具,深化区块链等技术的应用。