Zur Abgrenzung von Suizidunterstützung und Totschlag in mittelbarer Täterschaft
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Zur Abgrenzung von Suizidunterstützung und Totschlag in mittelbarer Täterschaft
Zugleich Besprechung der Entscheidung des LG Berlin vom 08. 04. 2024 (540 Ks 2/23)
Zeitschrift für Lebensrecht, Vol. 34(2025), Iss. 1–2 : pp. 67–84 | First published online: September 04, 2025
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Prof. Dr. Dr. Urs Kindhäuser, Universität Bonn, Fachbereich Rechtswissenschaften, Institut für Strafrecht Adenauerallee 24-42 53113 Bonn, Deutschland
Abstract
To delimit suicide support and homicide in indirect perpetrators
The ‘Right to Die with Dignity’ plays no role in the criminal law framework. As a weak permission, it does not lift conflicting prohibitions, specifically not the prohibition of manslaughter (§§ 212, 216 StGB), but merely explicitly declares as permissible what is generally not prohibited. If the suicide victim ends their life independently, measures within the framework of assisted suicide, which are not prohibited for other reasons, are permissible under the condition that the person wishing to die acts autonomously. Whether this is the case can be determined based on the criteria of the so-called consent solution. If its prerequisites are not met, the involvement of the person assisting in the suicide may constitute criminal liability for manslaughter by indirect perpetration. The answer to the question of the autonomy of the person wishing to die is therefore crucial for distinguishing between non-punishable and punishable involvement in suicide. The doctrine of control over the act, invoked by the courts, is unsuitable for this distinction, as the behaviors of the person assisting in suicide in both cases have the character of participation acts and therefore do not differ from one another in their objective structure.
Table of Contents
| Section Title | Page | Action | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zur Abgrenzung von Suizidunterstützung und Totschlag in mittelbarer Täterschaft | 67 | ||
| Zugleich Besprechung der Entscheidung des LG Berlin vom 08.04.2024 (540 Ks 2/23) | 67 | ||
| I. Problemstellung | 67 | ||
| II. Zum „Recht auf selbstbestimmtes Sterben“ | 70 | ||
| III. Mittelbare Täterschaft | 73 | ||
| 1. Vorbemerkung | 73 | ||
| 2. Selbst- oder Fremdtötung – kausale Differenzierung | 74 | ||
| 3. Mangelnde Verantwortlichkeit des Tatmittlers | 76 | ||
| 4. Zurechnung | 80 |