Excellent reflection on the “blunt” [meaning ineffective and damaging] law proposed by euthanasia/ assisted suicide advocates. Informative links are given at the end of the article.

The law is always a blunt instrument. It draws lines – creating rights and obligations. Presently our law and the ethical guidelines for doctors and nurses align fairly well with the Catholic moral tradition.

If the lines drawn with this blunt instrument are to be redrawn to accommodate Loredana’s right to die how and when she likes, there will always be another Loredana who wants the lines redrawn yet again until we reach the stage that the many Loredanas will be agitating for the right to die whenever and however the individual seeks it.

The most liberal euthanasia regime in the world is the Netherlands. There are many documented cases of vulnerable people being involuntarily put to death under the Netherlands regime.

In August of this year, the Dutch group Of Free Will published a paper, pointing out that the right to die should be available via three routes: the medical route, the autonomous route and the caregivers route.

They lament that the Netherlands law provides for the medical route but not for the caregivers route on which dying assistance could be given to elderly persons who consider their life complete.

Loredana considers her life complete. Mike Bowers thought his Dad’s life complete. Thinking about the pillow snuff, if no son should have to do it, why should any caregiver? Why should any caregiver be allowed to? And why should society legalise it?

Even while it remains illegal, it will occur from time to time, and it is very unlikely that any snuffer will be prosecuted if he is a loved one acting in accord with the deceased’s request and not out of self-interest.

Once we start drawing the lines elsewhere with the blunt instrument of the law, vulnerable people will be sure to be put to death without their consent, because others judge that their lives are complete or useless. And the resources for providing dignified last days for those whose lives are all but complete will be more scarce.

Full article by Frank Brennan ABC Religion and Ethics 13 Dec 2011, The law of death: reflections on the right to die.