George L. Mendz Ph.D., M.Bioeth., Lic.Sci., is Professor and Head of Research at the School of of Medicine, Sydney, The University of Notre Dame Australia. In the area Bioethics he has completed studies on Objection in Conscience, Gendercide, Tranhumanism and Euthanasia. David W. Kissane, A.C., M.D., B.S., M.P.M., F.R.A.N.Z.C.P., F.A.Ch.P.M., F.A.C.L.P., is the Chair of Palliative Care Research at the School of Medicine, Sydney, The University of Notre Dame Australia. His research interests are on existential and spiritual distress, demoralization and the desire to die, and how to treat such states with meaning-centered interventions.
J Law Med Ethics. 2020 Sep;48(3):555-564. doi: 10.1177/1073110520958881.
Agency is the human capacity to freely choose one's thoughts, motivations and actions without undue internal or external influences; it is distinguished from decisional capacity. Four well-known conditions that can deeply affect agency are depression, demoralization, existential distress, and family dysfunction. The study reviews how they may diminish agency in persons whose circumstances may lead them to consider or request euthanasia or assisted suicide. Since agency has been a relatively neglected dimension of autonomous choice at the end of life, it is argued that to respect the autonomy of individuals, it is essential to establish their agency.
代理是人类在不受过度内部或外部影响的情况下自由选择自己的思想、动机和行动的能力；它有别于决策能力。有四个众所周知的条件会深深地影响代理能力，分别是抑郁症、道德败坏、存在困扰和家庭功能障碍。本研究回顾了这些条件如何削弱那些可能导致他们考虑或要求安乐死或协助自杀的人的代理能力。由于代理能力在生命末期的自主选择中一直是一个相对被忽视的维度，因此有人认为，为了尊重个人的自主性，必须确定他们的代理能力。
