Globalization and improvements in the healthcare delivery system have gradually changed the medical community’s and the general public’s attitudes toward greater acceptance of euthanasia as a treatment option for terminally ill and dying patients. Physicians in developing countries are increasingly confronted with situations in which such issues are raised. Euthanasia has gained worldwide attention. So our research goals were to investigate physicians’ and chronically ill patients’ attitude to euthanasia in different countries. Concurrently, we wanted to know how many people asked for help with active euthanasia. Also, we wanted to know the attitude to euthanasia in different countries.
Euthanasia Ethics
The practice of euthanasia has piqued the public’s interest. This is most likely because it deals with the end of life. The current debate about euthanasia seems to be becoming ambiguous. Different people see it from different perspectives. Some people believe that it is important to end the life of a terminally ill patient suffering from an incurable health condition to relieve him or her of pain and suffering. However, it is difficult to distinguish the moral differences between euthanasia and natural death. This is because a doctor helps the patient to die or allows them to die normally. The ultimate result is death. The second moral dilemma is the conditions in which doctors suppose to carry it since there is no consensus justification for euthanasia.
Attitude to Euthanasia in Different Countries
1. Switzerland
Switzerland permits euthanasia with no minimum age limit, diagnosis, or symptom state.
However, if the motivations are “selfish,” such as if the person assisting the death stands to inherit early or does not want the burden of caring for a sick person, assisted suicide is illegal.
In the country, euthanasia is not legal.
In 2018, 221 people sought assisted suicide at the Swiss clinic Dignitas. There were 87 from Germany, 31 from France, and 24 from the United Kingdom. Assisted suicide accounts for about 1.5 percent of all deaths in Switzerland.
2. France
Euthanasia and assisted suicide are illegal. The president, François Hollande, agreed to look into the right to die with dignity. But he has consistently denied any intention of assisted suicide or euthanasia.
The Léonetti law introduced the definition of the right to be left to die in 2005. Under strict conditions, it allowed doctors to limit or stop any treatment that:
- Was no longer useful
- Is disproportionate
- Has no other objective than to artificially prolong the life
Two recent high-profile cases have made headlines:
- A doctor prescribed medications that hastened the deaths of seven elderly patients
- France’s high court granted doctors the authority to stop treating and feeding a young man who had been in a vegetative state on life support for six years
In the latter case, the patient’s parents have filed an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights, awaiting a decision.
Children as young as 12 years old can demand assisted death. All under the age of 16 do, however, require parental permission.
The authority has to undertake various checks before they can approve assisted dying. Doctors who consider allowing assisted dying must consult with at least one other independent doctor to confirm that the patient meets the necessary criteria.
3. United States
In five US states, doctors can prescribe lethal doses of drugs to terminally ill patients. Euthanasia is illegal. The aid in the dying movement has made incremental gains in recent years. But the topic remains controversial.
Oregon was the first state in the US to make assisted suicide legal. The law, which went into effect in 1997, requires terminally ill, mentally stable patients who have fewer than six months to live to receive a prescription for life-ending medicine. More than a decade later, Washington state approved a bill modelled on Oregon’s. Vermont legislature also passed a similar law. In Montana and, most recently, New Mexico, court decisions made the practice legal.
In 2013, approximately 300 terminally ill Americans got lethal drugs. And approximately 230 died due to their use. Some patients opt not to take the medication.
4. Canada
Adults suffering from grievous and irremediable circumstances whose death is reasonably foreseeable in Canada are qualified for euthanasia and assisted suicide.
Only euthanasia is legal in Quebec.
5. Australia
After 20 years and 50 failed attempts, the Australian state of Victoria passed the voluntary euthanasia law in November 2017.
The Australian Senate had previously repealed the law in 1997 in response to public backlash over the 1995 law that permitted it.
To be qualified for legal approval, you must be:
- An adult with decision-making capability
- A resident of Victoria
- Suffering from a disease with an expected lifespan of fewer than 6 months
And a doctor can not bring up the concept of assisted suicide. The patient must bring it up first.
You must submit three requests to the scheme, all of which must be in writing. According to the Guardian, the eligibility must then be determined by two experienced doctors, each of whom is a professional.
If you are eligible, you will get a prescription of medications that you must keep in a closed box until the time of your choice. If you are unable to administer the lethal drugs yourself, a doctor will do so.
6. New Zealand
According to the NZ Herald, a bill legalizing voluntary euthanasia passed its second vote in parliament in June by a 70 to 50.
However, a third and final reading is still required before the bill becomes law. And its success is far from guaranteed. For now, both euthanasia and assisted suicide are illegal.
7. Belgium
Belgium allows euthanasia and assisted suicide for those who are in intolerable pain and have no hope of improvement.
There is no age limit for children in Belgium. But they must have a terminal disease to meet the criteria for approval.
Final Thoughts towards the Attitude to Euthanasia in Different Countries
Euthanasia and assisted suicide are now legal in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Colombia, and Canada. Assisted suicide, but not euthanasia, is legal in five North American states (Oregon, Washington, Montana, Vermont, and California) and Switzerland.
In the United States, public support for euthanasia and assisted suicide ranges from 47 to 67 percent. Although support is increasing in Western Europe, it is declining in Central and Eastern Europe. In the United States, less than 20% of doctors have been asked to perform euthanasia or assisted suicide. And less than 5% have done so. In Oregon and Washington, fewer than 1% of patients have prescribed medication for assisted suicide per year. About half of doctors in the Netherlands and Belgium have received calls for euthanasia and assisted suicide.
In countries where these activities are legal, they cause between 0.3 and 4.6 percent of deaths. These figures are rising after legalization. Patients with cancer requested more than 70% of the cases. Pain is mainly the reason for requesting both practices. The authors concluded that euthanasia and assisted suicide are becoming more legal, that their use is very limited, and that they mostly involve cancer patients.
