CathNews New Zealand

We have to carefully consider the sort of message the legalising of euthanasia would give to those who are elderly, ill or disabled and the message it would send to the rest of society about a person’s worth says the Director of The Nathaniel Centre, the NZ Catholic Bioethics Centre, Mr John Kleinsman.

In a study carried out by Auckland University researchers  interviewed 11 healthy men and women aged between 69 and 89 asking why they supported voluntary euthanasia.

Reasons included not wanting to be a burden on their families and healthcare resources and fears of losing their independence and dignity.

“If you couldn’t do your basic care, couldn’t wash yourself or go to the loo by yourself, I don’t want to go on after that,” an 86-year-old woman said.

Kleinsman said he was familiar with the New Zealand study and that it was consistent with findings overseas. The 2011 statistics from Oregon, where physician-assisted suicide is legal, show that 42% cited being a burden as a reason for wanting to die, up from 35% the previous year. We have to carefully consider the sort of message the legalising of euthanasia would give to those who are elderly, ill or disabled and the message it would send to the rest of society about a person’s worth.

Kleinsman says other studies have shown that persistent requests for euthanasia are also driven by a sense of social isolation and a desire for control. This explodes the myth that the push for euthanasia is about the relief of people’s physical pain. It is, in fact, influenced by various social and cultural drivers, including the increasing fragmentation of families and a growing sense of alienation felt by many elderly and sick people.

“In a society in which euthanasia was legalised these social and cultural drivers would create a new form of coercion that cannot be safeguarded against by any kind of legislation. If people who have an illness or have become increasingly dependent are citing a sense of feeling a burden as a reason for euthanasia then this is not ‘free choice’. It is also noteworthy that all participants in the study were European. Other cultures, including Maori and Pasifika, have a very different attitude to the care of persons at the end of life. They are able to show us a different way.”

“Then there is also the issue of elder abuse and the fact that a law change would open up new pathways for abuse of those most vulnerable. We know from overseas experience that no law can prevent such abuses. For example, a recent Belgian study found that 32% of all euthanasia deaths in the Flanders region were without request or consent. The debate about euthanasia is actually a test of our commitment to those most vulnerable, says Mr Kleinsman. The introduction of state-sanctioned killing is not the way to go.”

Source

• The Nathaniel centre
• Image: Local List.co.nz

Additional reading

News category: New Zealand.