EUREKA STREET.com.au recently published an edited version of Resisting the duty to die, by John Kleinsman, Director of The Nathaniel Centre, the New Zealand Catholic Bioethics Centre.

 The debate about euthanasia, or more accurately ‘physician assisted suicide’ — let’s not dress it up by using soft language like ‘death with dignity’ — has reared its head again. We are told that there should be a legal right for certain persons (specifically doctors) to be able to kill an individual when that is what the individual wants.

 This claim to the right to assisted suicide, which comes out of a deep seated fear of the dying process, will have far reaching effects on the elderly and the sick should it become legalised…our deep seated fear of the dying process is where our real struggle for freedom lies rather than in the freedom to choose to demand that someone else end my life.

 John notes the interesting fact that the debate about assisted suicide has arisen only in certain societies, namely affluent western societies.

 Do we as a western society have more elderly, disabled and terminally ill people?

Do we consider the independent, strong and productive people in preference to the dependent, weak and (in our eyes) non-productive people in our society who we consider a burden?

Do we struggle with weakness and vulnerability because we prefer to be in control?

Those in favour of legalising assisted suicide argue that it is simply about recognising freedom of choice — the right of each person to make their own decisions. It is pointed out that those who do not wish to end their lives like this can still exercise their choice without interference. Why, then, should they impose their moral standards and beliefs on others?

We need to realise that

–          Dependence goes hand in hand with old age and approaching death,

–          We have Doctors and Specialists trained to help us deal with pain and dying,

–          We have nursing homes and palliative care wards dedicated to look after our elderly and dying, and

–          Sickness and death is a normal everyday occurrence in our world.

More than ever, we require strong political leadership willing to address the financial and social challenges associated with ageing populations while ensuring a greater degree of protection for the most vulnerable.

 This is an interesting statement given the recent announcement from our own Prime Minister, Julia Gilliard who is open to a debate on legalising euthanasia.

THE terminally ill could be granted the right to die after Prime Minister Julia Gillard backed a conscience vote on restoring the authority of territories to legalise euthanasia.

Fourteen years after the Northern Territory became the first place in the world to legalise euthanasia – only to be overridden nine months later by the Howard government – Greens leader Bob Brown pledged his first priority would be a bill to restore the territories’ power to pass euthanasia laws.

”This won’t bring in euthanasia, but it will restore the rights of the territorians to be able to legislate for euthanasia the same as everyone in the states,” Senator Brown, a former GP, told Channel Ten.

A spokeswoman for Ms Gillard said the Prime Minister was happy to discuss Senator Brown’s proposal and saw ”no reason” why MPs would not be afforded the opportunity of a conscience vote.

Read the rest of John Kleinsman’s article, Resisting the duty to die, here.

Read the rest of THE AGE article, PM open to debate on legalising euthanasia, here.