This week New Zealands parliamentarians will vote on the third reading of the End of Life Choice Bill.
Much public discussion on the merits of euthanasia has centred around the role of the medical practitioner as healer. Some doctors and conscientious objectors worry that physician-assisted suicide will alter the relationship between doctors and their patients. They argue it is unethical, often invoking the Hippocratic oath.
The oldest code of medical ethics, the oath dates to around the fourth century BC and is still sworn by doctors today. It specifically forbids physicians from administering lethal drugs, among its other precepts.
Some critics of the bill present religious and moral objections against euthanasia, while proponents have focused on the trauma and pain of terminally ill patients and their families. All these arguments have a long history.
Read more: In places where it's legal, how many people are ending their lives using euthanasia?
Like the Hippocratic oath, euthanasia (in its literal meaning of good death in ancient Greek) first appeared around the fourth and third century BC. Ancient Roman emperors, at deaths door, were known to consume wine, drugs and other palliatives to ease their dying. Good emperors were believed to deserve a dignified death, and often staged them.
In pre-modern Europe, experiencing a good death and intentionally shortening the agony of dying were separate matters. From 1400 on, there was a thriving trade in advice books on the art of dying. These instructed readers on how to prepare their souls for a good death and the Christian afterlife.
Prayers, rituals and information about what to expect offered practical guidance for attaining salvation. Christian theologians saw euthanasia as a blessed and peaceful death of the faithful.
Whether and how people sought to hasten or ameliorate death is less clear. Scholars only began considering the doctors role in enabling euthanasia in the late 16th century.
In 1605, English lawyer, statesman and natural philosopher Francis Bacon wrote that the physicians office extends to matters of health as well as dying. In his words, a physician ought not only to restore health, but to mitigate dolours, and torments of Diseases. If there was no hope of the patients recovery, everything should be done to make a fair and easie passage out of life.
Bacon called this fair and easie passage euthanasia. Importantly, he distinguished between outward euthanasia and the souls peaceful transition to the afterlife. While the latter remained the purview of the spiritual realm, Bacon placed the former within medicines province.
Until recently, historians believed active euthanasia did not exist in pre-modern Europe, but historian of medicine Michael Stolberg has challenged this notion.
A physician in 1660s Antwerp, Michiel Boudewijns, wondered whether doctors could help their terminal patients die. While moved by patients in agony, Boudewijns urged Christian doctors to observe the fifth commandment and the Hippocratic rule of do no harm. He cautioned his colleagues against undertaking risky procedures and acting on compassion to expedite death in hopeless cases.
Read more: How hypothetical designs can help us think through our conversations about euthanasia
Physicians also feared patients would lose trust in them if they knew they shortened dying patients lives. It was not until the late 17th century that facilitating dying sparked public debate among scholars. In 1678, Caspar Questel, a Silesian lawyer active in Saxony, wrote about assisted dying in the homes of ordinary people.
Methods to accelerate dying ranged from acts of faith and folklore to illegal actions. Questel had discovered that family members, nurses, nuns and other carers removed the pillow from under the head of the dying person. It was a widespread custom that was believed to quicken death.
Other forms of assistance included opening a window so the soul of the dying person would be encouraged to leave the body and meet God, placing lit candles around the gravely sick and placing the dying on the ground or putting them outdoors. More fatal actions involved suffocating the dying with a pillow or cutting their veins. Exercising empathy for the suffering of the dying was weighed against the risk of being charged for their premature deaths.
In present-day New Zealand, if this weeks vote is in favour of euthanasia, the option for assisted dying will still need to be ratified in a referendum next year.
Clearly, cultural customs, prevailing medical ethics and beliefs about death and the afterlife have evolved over time. Today discussions about euthanasia involve a wider range of participants than in pre-modern Europe. The distance between learned professionals and everyone else has narrowed. Civil rights, legal precedents and protections have given us a new language and ethics through which to understand fraught issues concerning our health, body and death.
Follow this link:
- Death of Catholic former Dutch prime minister highlights 'duo euthanasia' trend in Netherlands - Catholic Herald Online - February 24th, 2024 [February 24th, 2024]
- The Deadly Trend of Double Euthanasia The European Conservative - The European Conservative - February 24th, 2024 [February 24th, 2024]
- Humane Society of Central Texas asks for help as overpopulation threatens animals with euthanasia - KWTX - February 24th, 2024 [February 24th, 2024]
- Ending euthanasia is 'an act of love,' says Canadian activist. Published Feb. 20 2024. World. - The Pilot - February 24th, 2024 [February 24th, 2024]
- 'Duo euthanasia' of former prime minister unveils growing trend in the Netherlands - Evangelical Focus - February 24th, 2024 [February 24th, 2024]
- To Suffer or To Live: The Dilemma of Euthanasia - CONNECTAS - Connectas - February 24th, 2024 [February 24th, 2024]
- All you need to know about euthanasia - Nation - February 24th, 2024 [February 24th, 2024]
- Home with Dignity Enters Cincinnati, Ohio, Revolutionizing In-Home Euthanasia for Pets - PR Newswire - February 24th, 2024 [February 24th, 2024]
- Despite postponement, Canadian government 'fully committed' to expanding assisted suicide, warn country's bishops - Catholic Herald Online - February 24th, 2024 [February 24th, 2024]
- Dame Esther Rantzen explained main reason why she's choosing to die by euthanasia - LADbible - February 24th, 2024 [February 24th, 2024]
- Dame Esther Rantzen's heartbreaking last wish after she prepares for euthanasia - The Mirror - February 24th, 2024 [February 24th, 2024]
- Dame Esther Rantzen reveals her final wish as she prepares for euthanasia - LADbible - February 24th, 2024 [February 24th, 2024]
- "My Last Day Will Be Saturday": Dutch Woman, 28, Shares Final Post Before Being Euthanised - NDTV - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- Opinion | The aid-in-dying question - The Washington Post - The Washington Post - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- Enjoy A Last Morbid Meme: Dutch Woman Has Funny Final Meme Before Undergoing Euthanasia - Bored Panda - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- Opponents of nitrogen executions bill cite Ohio's ban on gas for pet euthanasia - The Statehouse News Bureau - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- Euthanasia for mentally ill off the table in Canada for now - GZERO Media - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- Odin the dog rescued from euthanasia - Lincoln - KOLN - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- 'My last day will be on Saturday': 28-year-old with ME shares final post before being euthanised - Yahoo News UK - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- Odin the dog rescued from euthanasia - Lawton - KSWO - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- Organ-Harvesting Requested from Those to Be Killed by Euthanasia in Quebec - National Review - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- Austin Animal Center to follow new euthanasia rules for dogs with severe bite histories - Community Impact - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- Dogs at Mission shelter at risk of euthanasia due to overcrowding - KRGV - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- Decision Made with Regard to a Proposed Referendum on Euthanasia - Hungary Today - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- Execution method used on Alabama inmate has pro-euthanasia activists worried - Live Action - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- 28-year-old Dutch woman dies by euthanasia after documenting her battle with 'chronic fatigue syndrome' - The New Indian Express - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- Canada delays plans to make euthanasia on the grounds of mental illness alone legal - Right To Life UK - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- 'My last day will be Saturday - Woman, 28, shares harrowing post before euthanasia - The Mirror - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- Family with children suffering from rare disease seeks euthanasia | Kerala | Onmanorama - Onmanorama - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- MAiD for mental illness must be stopped, not paused, Catholic and legal experts say - The B.C. Catholic - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- South Australian figures show 110 people used euthanasia to end their lives - CathNews - February 3rd, 2024 [February 3rd, 2024]
- Euthanasia Rates on the Rise as Dog Adoptions Slow Down - Yahoo Life - November 16th, 2023 [November 16th, 2023]
- Is Disney Building a New Roller Coaster Designed To Kill You? - Snopes.com - November 16th, 2023 [November 16th, 2023]
- Euthanasias effect on culture and society - Valencia County News Bulletin - November 16th, 2023 [November 16th, 2023]
- Arson Detection Pit Bull Hansel Escaped Euthanasia - Daily Paws - November 16th, 2023 [November 16th, 2023]
- Imagining Death | Sarah O'Dell - First Things - November 16th, 2023 [November 16th, 2023]
- UPDATE: Fort Bend County animal shelter over 250% of capacity ... - Community Impact - November 16th, 2023 [November 16th, 2023]
- Sister Dogs and Their Puppies Spared Euthanasia Face 'Cruel Twist ... - Newsweek - November 16th, 2023 [November 16th, 2023]
- One way to escape malpractice lawsuits: euthanise the patient - BioEdge - November 16th, 2023 [November 16th, 2023]
- Arizona legislative committee meets on animal care standards - Fronteras: The Changing America Desk - November 16th, 2023 [November 16th, 2023]
- Colombia begins sterilizing its invasive hippos: what scientists think - Nature.com - November 16th, 2023 [November 16th, 2023]
- Conference brings medics together in support of good ethics - The Catholic Weekly - November 16th, 2023 [November 16th, 2023]
- A Wheeling Murderer was sentenced to life in prison and citizens demand answers about the euthanasia of dogs at a local animal shelter: Heres a look... - November 16th, 2023 [November 16th, 2023]
- Darwin bishop ready to champion 'value of Christian life' as ... - Catholic Leader - July 26th, 2023 [July 26th, 2023]
- Suddenly hospital transfers are an issue? - BC Catholic - Multimedia ... - The B.C. Catholic - July 26th, 2023 [July 26th, 2023]
- Dutch government to expand euthanasia law to include children aged one to 12 an ethicist's view - The Conversation - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Thousands of signatures presented to Mexican Congress urging defeat of euthanasia bill - Catholic News Agency - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Is Government-Sanctioned Euthanasia Really That Far-Fetched? - The New York Sun - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Victoria's rising euthanasia rate shows governments won't bear the ... - The Catholic Weekly - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Experts looking into option of euthanasia for Noor Jehan - DAWN.com - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- More than 70 dogs in PA at risk of euthanasia by next week amid canine flu outbreak - SILive.com - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Death Upon Request: Euthanasia and Assisted-Suicide - The Speaker - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- BREAKING: Pontifical Academy of Life president calls medically assisted suicide feasible - Catholic News Agency - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- What happens to animals who die at the zoo? - WGN TV Chicago - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Opinion | Medical Assistance in Dying Should Not Exclude Mental ... - The New York Times - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Watch: 'Why Are We Safeguarding Cells?' - Philosophy Teacher ... - Lovin Malta - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- The Greatest Horror of 'Soylent Green' Isn't Soylent Green It's This - Collider - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Explained: Dying animals, lack of funds - distressing state of Pakistan zoos - WION - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Stray dog population control is dogged by bad science - The Hindu - April 23rd, 2023 [April 23rd, 2023]
- Euthanasia: Right to Die with Dignity - PMC - National Center for ... - April 14th, 2023 [April 14th, 2023]
- Pet assistance program - King County - April 8th, 2023 [April 8th, 2023]
- Euthanasia - MU School of Medicine - February 7th, 2023 [February 7th, 2023]
- Euthanasia | ama-coe - American Medical Association - February 7th, 2023 [February 7th, 2023]
- Euthanasia - Arguments in Favour and Against - ClearIAS - February 7th, 2023 [February 7th, 2023]
- Baton Rouge animal shelter overwhelmed, resorting to euthanasia: 'Please help us help them' - The Advocate - February 7th, 2023 [February 7th, 2023]
- Canadian religious leaders speak out as country set to allow euthanasia for mental illness - Fox News - November 25th, 2022 [November 25th, 2022]
- The History of the Euthanasia Movement | JSTORY Daily - November 5th, 2022 [November 5th, 2022]
- How Canada became a world leader in euthanasia - Spiked - October 25th, 2022 [October 25th, 2022]
- In places where it's legal, how many people are ending their lives ... - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- Human Rights and Euthanasia - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- 25 Bible Verses about Euthanasia - Human Life International - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Canadian moms harrowing tale shows the real dangers of legal euthanasia - Aleteia - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Is it time to rethink the laws on assisted dying? - podcast - The Guardian - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Alive offer free adoptions for dogs and puppies - mySA - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Animal shelters are overwhelmed - The West Volusia Beacon - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Poor Canadians are now willing to legally die instead of living in Trudeaus Canada - TFI Global News - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- 43rd Senate District: Ashby, Smyth offer contrasts on farm overtime, other issues during virtual debate - The Post Star - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- John Irving's latest novel is full of empathy and affection for his characters - NOW Toronto - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- What passive euthanasia is - PubMed - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Mehmet Oz is facing accusations of animal abuse tied to medical research. Here's what you need to know - The Morning Call - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]