Introduction
“A good death” – from the Greek “eu” meaning good, and “thanatos” meaning death.
Euthanasia is related to suicide because people choose how and when a human life should end, either their own or someone else who is unable to make the choice.
- Difference between euthanasia and suicide: Euthanasia involves more than 1 person. Someone else is needed to perform the killing, provide drugs, or withhold life-saving treatment because someone is unable to commit suicide on their own.
- Voluntary Euthanasia: “Assisted suicide”: Someone chooses to end their life but needs help to commit suicide.
- Involuntary euthanasia: Other people decide it is best if someone’s life ends, because s/he can not make that decision. E.g. they have been in a coma for a very long time.
- Active euthanasia: Action is taken to bring a life to an end, e.g. a lethal dose of drugs is given.
- Passive euthanasia: Decision is made to stop giving treatment, even though death will result. This happens often in hospitals. Many do not accept this as euthanasia, because all you’re doing is letting nature take its course.
In 1992 Dr. Nigel Cox was found guilty of attempting to murder a terminally ill patient. Sentenced to 1 year’s imprisonment, suspended for twelve months. His patient had been in hideous pain which did not respond to pain killing injections. Dr Cox and the patient’s family were devastated by the sentence; they said his action was solely in the dying woman’s interests. He was lucky not to be struck off the Register by the Medical Council.
Euthanasia and the Law
1961 Suicide Act: Suicide became legal in UK, but it is still an offence to “aid, abet, counsel or procure” such an act. Anyone who helps a sufferer to end their life risks being charged with murder or manslaughter.
In some cases, passive euthanasia may be allowed, but permission must first be obtained from the courts. Tony Bland, a teenager injured in Hillsborough 1989, was left in a Persistent Vegetative State. As there was no hope of recovery, the courts gave permission for his life-support machine to be turned off.
However, Voluntary Euthanasia is not permitted in Britain. Diane Pretty, a 43 year old woman with motor neurone disease, has asked for legal permission to have help in ending her life. The courts in Britain said no, so she is taking her case to the European courts.
In the Netherlands euthanasia is now legal, from 1.1.2002. For some time the courts in Holland have turned a blind eye to the practice of euthanasia and the law has been changed to acknowledge this – with the majority of the public in full support