misthanasia

English

Etymology

A neologism coined by Brazilian bioethicists, from mis- (“badly, wrongly”) + -thanasia (as in euthanasia, dysthanasia), from Ancient Greek θάνατος (thánatos, “death”).

Noun

misthanasia (uncountable)

1. The premature death of a vulnerable human due to a failure to provide appropriate help in the context of social injustice.
   • 2009 September/October, Chaiane Amorim Biondo, Maria Júlia Paes da Silva, Lígia Maria Dal Secco, “Dysthanasia, Euthanasia, Orthotanasia: The Perceptions of Nurses Working in Intensive Care Units and Care Implications”, in Rev Latino-am Enfermagem, volume 17, number 5:

     Orthotanasia refers to the art of promoting a humane and correct death, not subjecting patients to misthanasia or dysthanasia and not abbreviating death either, that is, subjecting them to euthanasia.

   • 2010, José Ramírez Rivera, Carlos Cánova Díaz, Robert Hunter Mellado, “Knowledge and implementation of the DNR in internal medicine teaching programs”, in Puerto Rico health sciences, volume 29, number 2:

     In these scenarios a debate on the difficult task of maintaining a balance between disthanasia, (therapeutic obstinacy), misthanasia (patient abandonment) and medical futility was seen (9-12)

   • 2017 October, Anna Silvia Setti Da Rocha, “Human Dignity, Misthanasia, Public Health and Bioethics in Brazil”, in Revista Iberoamericana de Bioética, →ISSN:

     This paper aims to reflect on human dignity and misthanasia in the public health system in Brazil.

References

• LIMA, Walber Cunha. Bioética, mistanásia e direitos humanos: morte social e perspectivas para o seu enfrentamento. 2017. 236f. Tese (Doutorado em Ciências Sociais) - Centro de Ciências Humanas, Letras e Artes, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, 2017.