The Right to Life in the Angolan Legal System: Relevant Issues Regarding the Right to Life

Abstract

The right to life is one of the fundamental human rights, protected by the vast majority of national constitutions, laws, and international treaties. It is a completely inalienable and inalienable right, meaning that consent is completely irrelevant, as no one can be arbitrarily deprived of their life, neither by the State nor by other individuals. This right imposes obligations on the State to protect and preserve human life. Some pertinent and current issues arising around the right to life, involving ethics, law, health, politics, and society, demonstrate that, although the right to life is recognized as fundamental, its interpretation and practical application are complex and often controversial. Furthermore, it demonstrates that the right to life, although universally recognized, is not absolute and needs to be constantly interpreted in light of human dignity, individual freedom, social equity, and the responsibility of the State. It is from this perspective that this work addresses, in terms of relevance, the following issues, among others: Suicide and the protection of the right to life; Euthanasia and the protection of the right to life, The death penalty versus the right to life, and Abortion and the right to life.