o:9992 Between life and death en Abstract: The right to life is a fundamental human right from which all other human rights derive, especially the right to health, as a crucial part. This right is defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948, as well as in the Eu-ropean Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, adopted by the Council of Europe in 1950. It implies that the right to life is protected by law and that no one may be intentionally deprived of it, not even those suffering from incurable illnesses enduring severe pain when death is in-evitable, especially if they no longer wish or are unable to bear their suf-fering. The question arises, how to treat such patients, those at the very end of life, experiencing intense pain and suffering. The development of palliative care and sedation, whose primary goal is to ease the suffering and pain of the patient, in the last weeks and days of his life, without the intention of affecting the end of life and increasing accessibility to an ever-widening circle of patients, significantly enhances the quality of life for those who are seriously ill, as well as for their fami-lies. There are numerous ethical dilemmas and legal questions faced daily by medical professionals in this highly delicate area of life and death – an area almost always surrounded by controversy, fear, and the potential for abuse. Keywords: palliative care, terminal sedation, medical ethics, ethical dilemmas, ethical controversies, euthanasia. 1552100 978-86-80756-70-7 1552100 978-86-905844-4-4 1552100 978-86-6032-006-5 1552099 10.47152/ns2025 91552100 176548105 2026-07-14T09:50:02.733Z 44 yes 46 Mirka Lukić-Šarkanović Faculty of Stomatology, University of Business Academy, Pančevo, 0009-0005-4754-7577 Zoran Pavlović Univerzitet Privredna akademija u Novom Sadu, Pravni fakultet za privredu i pravosuđe u Novom Sadu, Novi Sad; University Business Academy in Novi Sad, Faculty of Law for Commerce and Judiciary in Novi Sad, Novi Sad person 0000-0002-9625-1298 Nina Vico Katanić University Clinical Center of Vojvodina, Novi Sad. person 0009-0001-7476-3591 application/pdf 1677688 https://unilib.phaidrabg.rs/o:9992 no yes 16 70 1556235 211A01 The right to health 503 515 Belgrade : Institute of Criminological and Sociological Research ; Novi Sad : Bar Association of Vojvodina : Branch of SASA 2025