Is there a right to end life if the pain is intolerable ?: Countries that allow euthanasia and push the boundaries

For the ancient Greeks, the word euthanasia meant “good death”. But even today, it continues to spark heated debate: Is it moral for a sick person to demand medicine to relieve excruciating suffering and die? Are you disrespectful of life? Is it normal for a doctor who has sworn to do what he can to save lives to start prescribing treatments that cause death? And what if someone takes advantage of the practice of euthanasia to cause the death of a patient? Humanity has been pondering these questions for millennia, but now they ring louder following the enactment of an active euthanasia law in Spain last Thursday.

The practice of euthanasia was already legal in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada, Colombia, Spain, New Zealand and some states in Australia. In Argentina, there were bills that tried to solve the problem and have not yet succeeded. In Mexico, there were also other unsuccessful attempts.

There are specialists in bioethics, medicine, social sciences, psychology, among other fields of knowledge, who deeply debating the issue in the country since the activation of euthanasia It is a practice which does not admit only to think about it in black or in white. There is also an ongoing project in which Dr. Carlos “Pecas” Soriano is participating following experiments with patients.

In addition, experts convened by Conicet discuss need to further encourage palliative care, which help people with serious illnesses feel better by preventing or treating symptoms and side effects.

In Colombia, the practice is legal, according to a decision of the Constitutional Court. But it is not regulated even though there have been 13 attempts to have a law. In New Zealand, the law is expected to come into force next November, after a referendum that took place last year. On October 17, New Zealanders had to vote on euthanasia, and 65.1% were in favor. In parts of the United States and Australia, the practice is also permitted.

In Peru, active euthanasia is prohibited with imprisonment for the health professional. However, last February, the Eleventh Constitutional Court of Lima, in an unprecedented judicial decision, recognized the right of citizen Ana Estrada Ugarte, 44, suffering from an incurable disease, to a dignified death by euthanasia and ordered to the Ministry of Health to respect your decision.

In Spain, The new standard – which was passed by the Congress of Deputies, with 202 votes in favor, 141 against and two abstentions – will enter into force within three months.. To request euthanasia, a person must “suffer from a serious and incurable disease or from a serious, chronic and disabling disease” which causes “intolerable suffering”. The standard regulates both “direct administration of a substance to the patient by the competent health professional” and physician-assisted suicide.

This second option means that “the prescription or supply to the patient by the healthcare professional of a substance, so that he can self-administer, to cause his own death” was regulated. Unlike other countries, the Spanish standard establishes steps that can delay the process, from the moment the patient requests euthanasia.. You must make your will in writing twice within 15 days. It must be clear that the decision is “not the result of any outside pressure”.

“I agree with the law approved in Spain. There are several reasons why I think euthanasia should be legally allowed“said to Infobae the professor at the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella and researcher at Conicet, Eduardo Rivera Lopez, who is a philosopher and doctor of political science and has published works and books on euthanasia. “One of the reasons is that the standard respects the patient’s right to autonomy. In other words, it takes into account the fact that the patient can freely decide for himself when a terminal illness situation has reached a point where it is better not to continue living. Another foundation is charity. This means that we have to accept that there are situations in which medicine, despite all its efforts, can no longer avoid degrees of suffering which make it completely reasonable to want to die ”, he said. He underlines.

Should we move forward with legislation similar to that of Spain in Latin America? According to Rivera López, “Euthanasia is already legal in Colombia, and there is the recent court ruling in Peru to the same effect. I believe that legislation such as Spanish legislation must be adapted to the conditions in our countries, which are very different. We must ensure that the acts of consent of patients requesting euthanasia are authentic and not the product of pressure from the family or the health system itself ”.

While there may be a difference between whether the doctor applies the deadly drug directly to the patient or provides it for self-administration, according to Rivera López, the bottom line is: Are we going to allow drugs to help seriously ill people who ask to die?

“Euthanasia is a patient’s right, especially with the increasing medicalization of the end of life, but society must be prepared,” he commented. Infobae philosopher Florencia Luna, former president of the International Bioethics Association, researcher at Conicet and director of the master’s degree in bioethics at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO). “Quality palliative care must be provided. Because in this way, we will prevent patients from choosing to die because they did not have access to optional palliative care or the necessary comfort to pass this stage, ”said the researcher, co-author of the book Bioethics: new reflections on classic debates.

Dr Luna is part of the End of Life Care, Rights and Decisions Network, which was created by Conicet and is made up of academics from different disciplines and institutions across the country. Last year, This network organized a day during which the patients’ right to palliative care was discussed. In Argentina, only 10% of patients requiring palliative care can access it.

“The question is whether we doctors should help a patient who asks to die. The reality is that there are pathologies and people who have intolerable suffering both physically and psychologically ”, I consider Rosa Angelina Pace, surgeon and master’s degree in bioethics from the Complutense University of Madrid. “A legal framework is needed to prevent abuse. Without a law on euthanasia, there is also abuse. In the countries where it is authorized, there are specific protocols for health teams. For this reason, the law protects the patient so that he demands strict protocols of action ”.

KEEP READING