Olivia Cao/Staff reporter
Euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, refers to the procedures when a doctor helps a patient to kill themselves by prescribing a lethal drug for the patient to take to relieve suffering. It is a gentle, easy, and painless death, according to the essay written by Mayank.
On June 25, 2021, Euthanasia was officially legalized in Spain, which became the seventh country in the world to allow implementation of euthanasia under certain circumstances.
As euthanasia is legalized in Spain, the long-debated question of whether people should have the right to choose to die is being discussed again, should people have right to choose to die and is euthanasia a kind of homicides?
Samantha Li, a grade 11 student who advocate of euthanasia legalized, said, “I think people should have the right to be able to decide when and how they die, the others couldn’t interfere with their decisions. Moreover, euthanasia can help relieve the pain of terminally ill patients and allow them to move more happily towards death.”
Skeptics argue that euthanasia is never necessary, especially after the advent of palliative care, which refers to the medical care that able to control physical, psychological, social and existential suffering. According to the World Health Organization, palliative care intends to neither accelerate nor postpone death.
Based on statistics, 90% of doctors working in palliative care in Canada oppose euthanasia. They believe that euthanasia is a form of homicide and that palliative care can already relieve the suffering of most patients.
According to the report by Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association, depending on where people live in Canada, only 16% to 30% of Canadians who die currently have receive hospice palliative and end-of-life care services.
When asked about the thoughts on the legalizing euthanasia, Irene Hu, grade 11 said, “Canada should make palliative care more accessible to more people instead of letting them to choose euthanasia when they are in pain.”
Nowadays, it is important to note that there has been abuse where euthanasia and assisted suicide are legal. For example, in Oregon, United States, a woman received a letter from her insurance company refusing to pay for her chemotherapy but offering euthanasia instead.
According to Professor Etienne Montero, Dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Namur in Belgium, it is extremely difficult to follow a strict legal requirement, because it is impossible to establish guidelines strict enough to limit euthanasia to persons for whom it is provided.
Hu thought, “From another perspective, legalizing euthanasia may spread a false message to society that it is better to die than to be sick or disabled, and this message probably will create social discrimination and increase the suffering of patients. How do we balance people’s right to choose to die with the equality of life?”
Sources:
“Essay on Euthanasia: Should it be Legalised?” by Mayank
“Euthanasia in Spain”, Wikipedia
“End-of-life care means exactly what it says: palliative care is about care at the end of life, not about ending life”, Future Healthcare Journal
“Arguments against euthanasia”, Vivre Dans La Dignite
“Fact Sheet: Hospice Palliative Care in Canada”, Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association
“What Are Palliative Care and Hospice Care?”, National Institute on Aging
Pictures:
“What is Euthanasia? Voluntary, Active, Passive or Murderous” by Sue Allen
“3D Illustration Business Man Holding Cross Stock Illustration”