Suicide-aid arrangements are to be relaxed

German Medical Association: Suicide Aid Regulations should be relaxed in medical professional law

28/12/2010

The President of the German Medical Association Jörg-Dietrich Hoppe has announced a liberalization of medical suicide assistance. For this purpose, a new draft for the medical profession was drafted by the German Medical Association. Part of the draft is to lift the currently valid ethical prohibition of medical euthanasia, the chief physician told the „Frankfurter Rundschau“. The new regulations are intended to establish that a physician could assist the suicide of the patient if this was compatible with his own conscience.

The German Medical Association calls for a liberalization of the suicide help by physicians in a draft for the revision of the medical profession. However, Hoppe emphasized that the planned new regulations did not violate the applicable laws and did not go beyond German criminal law. The law does not prohibit suicide, but doctors are bound by professional law not to carry out such active care. An active death benefit is unethical in the medical profession. According to Hoppe, this contradiction should be resolved. At the same time Hoppe said: „However, I am shaken by the idea that a doctor helps with suicide. I could not agree with my conscience.” And made it clear that he himself would not perform an active euthanasia.

German Hospice Foundation reacts with outrage
The German Hospice Foundation responded with considerable indignation to the announcement of changing professional law in terms of active suicide support. A physician-assisted suicide help is neither a continuation of the terminal care nor a real alternative to it. The executive committee of the patient protection organization called on the federal government to do this, „finally to criminalize the commercial mediation of suicide”.

Also, the German Caritas Association has criticized the announced easing in the case of medical care. Above all, the President of the Caritas Association, Peter Neher, criticized the fact that the decision to actively support suicide is pushed to the conscience level of the doctor. „I fear that the relationship of trust with the patient and relatives will be enormously burdened. And the doctor comes into a new conflict of conscience: when he is expected to do what he may not want.“ Rather, it is important to support the hospice movement, one „Dying in dignity“ to enable humans.

Every third doctor for active euthanasia
In the summer of 2010, a survey study was conducted among physicians on the topic of active terminal care. In the survey, one out of every three physicians said they could imagine getting active euthanasia for incurable diseases if the law were changed. Of the 30 percent eligible for suicide assistance, four out of five admitted that the patient's right to self-determination was the top priority. Of these, half of the non-advocates were convinced. 61 percent generally reject active euthanasia, and 37 percent state that under certain circumstances, they help to kill critically ill patients. Every second family doctor has already been asked by patients if they could actively help them to die. The new regulations are to be implemented in the coming year. (Sb)

Also read:
For every third doctor euthanasia conceivable
Every third doctor is open to euthanasia
Ex-Justice Senator Kusch founds euthanasia e.V.
Suicide in depressed people

Image: D. Braun