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Many oncologists are ready for euthanasia in an emergency
For years there is a lot of discussion about the medical euthanasia. A survey has now revealed that many cancer doctors would be prepared to help seriously ill patients with suicide on a case-by-case basis. A law against aiding suicide refuse the oncologists.
About one third of oncologists would be suicidal
A survey of oncology specialists found that many emergency physicians were prepared to help critically ill patients with suicide. For example, 34 percent said that they "would be willing to help with suicide" under certain conditions, such as providing lethal drugs. Nine percent were undecided and for 57 percent of respondents it is under no conditions in question. Only a fraction of the physicians has reportedly suicide support. The survey on assisted suicide was conducted by the German Society of Hematology and Medical Oncology (DGHO) among its members. At a press conference, Prof. dr. med. Diana Lüftner, oncologist at the Berlin Charité and DGHO chair, the motivation for the survey: "Currently we are experiencing in society, politics and the media an intensely - and sometimes emotionally - led debate around questions about a possible explicit design statutory rules on euthanasia. "
In an emergency, many cancer doctors are for euthanasia. (Image: Robert Kneschke / fotolia) Cancer doctors are more often confronted with the question of euthanasia
She continued, "As physicians, we treat patients in their last stages of life and are directly confronted with questions about assisted suicide as part of a close doctor-patient relationship. In doing so, we wanted to find out in particular with our survey: How often do patients actually approach us for a possible assisted suicide? "The result of the survey, which was attended by over 700 of the approximately 3,000 DGHO members, showed that 13 Percent of surveyed oncologists have received specific requests to prescribe self-killing drugs during their working lives. Although, according to statistics, suicides among cancer patients are not higher than those of other people, oncologists are more often confronted with the question of support. In connection with rising numbers of suicides in Germany, the German Society for Suicide Prevention (DGS) recently pointed out that many doctors are overstrained and not sufficiently trained in dealing with vulnerable patients.
DGHO rejects ban on medical suicide assistance
In the course of publication of the results of the survey, the Board of the DGHO rejected any prohibition of medical aid for suicide. It is said in their opinion that there are no legal or professional prohibitions needed to regulate the assisted suicide. Suicide is not punished and therefore the aid must also be unpunished, explained the Managing Director of DGHO, Mathias Freund. Even if a cross-party majority in the Bundestag is currently seeking a ban on organized and business euthanasia, its association is opposed. Thus, the DGHO joins around 135 prominent criminal lawyers, who had also spoken in April against tightening the law.
Medical passive euthanasia is allowed
Instead, the DGHO chairman advocated drying up the market for organized euthanasia. He said that the better dying patients could be cared for in clinics and at home, and the more possibilities palliative care physicians and cancer physicians have, the fewer the desire for other ways. The President of the German Medical Association, Frank Ulrich Montgomery, recently made a strong case for the further expansion of the palliative care service. This "would be an important signal against the background of the current euthanasia debate". According to the law, physicians in Germany may provide passive and indirect euthanasia by switching off equipment at the request of the patient or accepting a life-shortening for high-dose medications. The aid for suicide is also unpunished so far. However, active euthanasia is prohibited - killing on request. This is also rejected by the DGHO. (Ad)