On 25 June, 2021, Spain’s Organic Law 3/2021 on the Regulation of Euthanasia (LORE) came into force, making Spain the fourth European country to decriminalise both euthanasia and assisted suicide. On the four-year anniversary of its coming into effect, we take this opportunity to reflect on its implementation and assess the progress made.

The LORE in numbers and the realities its implementation across the territory

• Albert Tuca. Medical oncologist. Hospital Clínic of Barcelona. UB-Clínic Chair of Palliative Care. President of the Euthanasia Guarantees Commission of Catalonia

Professional challenges in managing euthanasia requests

• Albert Planes. Family Physician, ICS. Member of the Ethics Group of the Catalan Society of Family Medicine. Member of the Guarantees Commission of Catalonia.

Legal gaps in the law and challenges in its interpretation

• Nuria Terribas. Jurist, Director of Fundació Víctor Grífols i Lucas

Closing lecture: Bioethics for citizens with citizens

• Victoria Camps. Philosopher. Holder of the Fundació Grífols Bioethics Chair. Emeritus Professor of Moral Philosophy at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. President of the Víctor Grífols i Lucas Foundation.

Round table 4: Citizen participation and public voices

• Milagros Pérez Oliva. Journalist at El País.
• Mònica Terribas. Journalist and professor of Journalism at UPF.
• Espartac Peran. Journalist at 3CAT, Televisió de Catalunya

Moderator: Begoña Roman. Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Barcelona. President of the Ethics Committee of the Social Services of Catalonia.

Round table 3: Autonomy and vulnerable populations

• Aurea Autet. Psychiatrist. Director of Mental Health at the Althaia Foundation.
• Pep Solé. Lawyer. Director of the Support Foundation.
• Núria Terribas. Director of the Fundació Grífols Bioethics Chair.
• Jordi Amblàs. Geriatric doctor. Responsible for Integrated Social and Health Care of the Department of Health.

Moderator: Bernabé Robles. Neurologist Coordinator of the Bioethics Unit of the Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Déu. Associate Professor of Bioethics at UVic-UCC.

Lecture: Making bioethics accessible to citizens

• Francesc Torralba. Professor at Ramon Llull University. Director of the Ethos Chair of Ethics and the Ramon Llull Journal of Applied Ethics.

Round table 2: Humanisation of healthcare 

• Carme Bertral. Primary Care Physician. Former Secretary of Health Care and Participation.
• Esther Giménez-Salinas. Catalan Ombudswoman.
• Javier Rivas. Vice President of the Ethics Committee of the Center for Humanization of Health. Teacher at the Humanization of Health Center in Tres Cantos, Madrid.
• Andoni Lorenzo. President of the Spanish Patients Forum.

Moderator: Montserrat Busquets. Retired professor from the School of Nursing of the University of Barcelona.

Round table 1: Ethics committees, citizenship and deliberation

• Lydia Feito. Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the Complutense University of Madrid. President of the Association of Fundamental and Clinical Bioethics.
• Juan Pablo Beca. Pediatrician-Neonatologist. Professor at the Universidad del Desarrollo. Founder of the UDD Bioethics Center.
• Tomás Domingo. Professor of Philosophy at the UNED. President of the Hispanic Society of Philosophical Anthropology.
• Olga Rubio. Intensive Medicine Physician. Head of the Patient Experience Unit. Hospital Clínic.

Moderator: Núria Terribas. Director of the Fundació Grífols Bioethics Chair.

Opening lecture of the 3rd International Bioethics Conference "Creating Impact Together: Dialogical Ethics Support in the Deliberation of Moral Uncertainty and Disagreement"

• Bert Molewijk. Professor of Ethics and Humanities at the University Medical Center in Amsterdam. Consultant in Clinical Ethics.
  President of the European Association of Centres of Medical Ethics (EACME).

(Contenta available in English soon)

Durant el mes de maig vam col·laborar amb el Festival Vida al Final de la Vida, amb l'objectiu de trencar el tabú a parlar sobre la mort i el procés de final de vida. Després d'un més ple de conferències, tallers i altres activitats, en aquest vídeo trobareu un resum del que va donar de si la primera edició d'aquest festival.

Montse Boada’s lecture aims to elucidate the intricacies of human assisted reproduction, its possibilities, and the ethical considerations essential for ensuring its responsible use not only in the present, but also in the future. Conference held in collaboration with Amics per a la Unesco de Barcelon

Marta Pardo explained how in adolescence, this period of brain maturation also becomes a period of vulnerability and susceptibility to risk factors that can contribute to the development of pathologies or mental health problems. Conference held in collaboration with Amics per a la Unesco de Barcelona.

Joan Tronto talks about how the progressive aging of the population with greater longevity, but often also with greater dependence and need for care, requires reflection and analysis of how to care for people in a context of vulnerability.

In this lecture, Paula Sol Ventura and Felip Miralles will discuss the importance of considering planetary health as a fundamental component of human well-being and the overall welfare of our planet. They will also touch upon a number of environmental factors that influence health including the quality of our air, water and food. Additionally, they will delve into consequences of environmental degradation, climate change and loss of biodiversity. By addressing these challenges head-on, we can ensure a sustainable and healthy future for present and future generations.

This activity is organized in collaboration with Amics de la Unesco de Barcelona (Friends of the Unesco, Barcelona).

Grifols Foundation Director Núria Terribas will offer a lecture on the importance of planning for those end-of-life situations in which patients are unable to make decisions on their own. The lecture will focus on how to document these decisions to ensure the preservation of the patient’s personal autonomy even when it is effectively lost.

Talk organized in collaboration with Amics de la Unesco de Barcelona (Friends of the Unesco, Barcelona).

Lecture in the series organized in collaboration with the Amics de la Unesco de Barcelona, to speak with paediatrician and ISGlobal researcher Rosauro Varo on structural violence in relation to colonization, health, and bioethics.

Opening lecture of the 2nd International Bioethics Conference

• Joseph J. Fins. Physician and medical ethicist. Chief of the Division of Medical Ethics at New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Panel discussion 1 of the 2nd International Bioethics Conference

• Miquel Domènech. Professor of social psychology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Director of the Barcelona Science and Technology Studies Group.
• Fernando Bandrés. Professor of Legal Medicine at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Director of the Gregorio Marañón Study Center.
• Salvador Macip. Doctor and researcher. Professor at the University of Leicester and the Open University of Catalonia.

Moderator: Milagros Pérez Oliva. Journalist for the El País.

Panel discussion 2 of the 2nd International Bioethics Conference

• Begoña Roman. Adjunct professor at the Faculty of Philosophy of the Universitat de Barcelona. President of the Social Services Ethics Committee of Catalonia. Member of the Bioethics Committee of Catalonia.
• Jordi Mir. Professor of Bioethics and Moral and Political Philosophy at the Department of Humanities at Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
• Joseph J. Fins.  Physician and medical ethicist. Chief of the Division of Medical Ethics at New York Presbyterian Hospital. 
• Andreu Segura. Member of the Public Health Advisory Council and the Bioethics Committee. Coordinator of the SESPAS (Sociedad Española de Salud Pública) Working Groups on Ethics and Iatrogenics.

Moderator: Tomás Domingo. Professor of Philosophy at the UNED. President of the Hispanic Society of Philosophical Anthropology.

Panel discussion 3. Challenges of teaching bioethics*

• Lydia Feito. Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. President of the Association for Fundamental and Clinical Bioethics.
• Javier Júdez. Family and Community Physician at CSFuente Álamo. Vice President of the Association for Fundamental and Clinical Bioethics.
• Bernardita Portales. Phonoaudiologist, Master in Bioethics. Coordinator of postgraduate programs and continuing education at the Bioethics Center of the German Faculty of Clinical Medicine Universidad del Desarrollo.
• María Muñoz Grandes. Psychologist and psychotherapist in Philadelphia, USA. Degree in Philosophy and Psychology, and Master in Psychotherapy, Education and Organizational Development.

Moderator: Juan Pablo Beca. Pediatrician-Neonatologist. Professor at the Universidad del Desarrollo. Founder of the UDD Bioethics Center.