LIFE AS DAMAGE: COMPENSATION OF NON-PECUNIARY DAMAGE FOR STAYING ALIVE (THE INTERPRETATION OF CIVIL LAW IN THE LIGHT OF THE CONSTITUTION)

Abstract

This article presents a decision of the German Federal Court of Justice dealing with the question, whether life can be considered as damage which entitles to claim compensation of non-pecuniary and pecuniary damage. The question concerns the case of a person, whose state of health does not permit any communication; this person was kept alive by medical treatment, even if the person suffered from many diseases and it was evident, that the treatment will only shift the dead ahead. The court referred to the Constitution, dealing with the question, whether life can be considered in civil law as a damage. The decision and the background will be presented as well as the two previous decisions and a comparative description of the legal questions according German and Ukrainian Law. The purpose of article is to present a decision of the German Federal Court of Justice, which – as the Court states – deals with an unprecedented issue. Due to the fact, that situations, which were the background of the Court’s decision have no national limits, it is worthto present this topic also for a professional public outside Germany. The article is based on a method of comparative analysis of constitutional and civil law.The presentation of a Court’s decision and the comparative legal background has logically only the result of information for further discussion. However, the comparative presentation shows parallels on the level of the functions of rights and freedoms in a Constitution: they have the function to protect the individual against the interference of the state. But the rights and freedoms also create a system of values on the level of constitutional law which has to be considered in all spheres of national law – also in relations between private persons ruled by civil law.