Euthanisia - the right to die with dignity
As we age and our medical acumen increases, quality not quantity of life becomes increasingly important. To ensure quality of life for every person, Volt believes that every person has the right to determine how to end their life with dignity.
This dignity includes the safeguarding of other people (no other person’s life can be harmed) and a wide range of support should be available and accessible for those people seeking help.
This should include a variety of ways to provide a dignified end of life - from medical care such as palliative care, hospices for psychological or spiritual support to flexible working arrangements to allow family members to care for dying relatives.
Volt includes situations of "constant and unbearable physical or mental suffering that cannot be alleviated," where a person may seek assistance to terminate their life - they too deserve to be supported to do so with dignity.
Everyone has the right to decide how their life should end, as long as other people are not unduly affected by this.
That is why Volt supports passive euthanasia in Denmark. However, we at Volt also believe that there are situations where passive euthanasia is not sufficient. Therefore, we also support assisted suicide for those who are in constant and unbearable physical and/or mental pain. To be eligible for assisted suicide, we believe that the following criteria must be met:
The person is a competent adult who suffers from constant and unbearable physical or mental pain that cannot be relieved.
The person must undergo an initial evaluation with a minimum of two doctors and a psychiatrist. These must confirm that the adult is a competent human being suffering from constant and unbearable physical or mental pain that cannot be relieved. In addition, the professionals must also confirm that the wish for assisted suicide is of the person's own free will and not under external pressure.
The person's wish must be done with their full conviction, which is also determined during the initial evaluation.
During the process, it must be ensured that the person is in full control. It goes without saying that the doctor's role is solely to administer the lethal drug. We propose that a committee be established to review all assisted suicide cases. The committee should be composed of at least one medical expert, an ethicist and a legal expert.
Actively include the health care sector
For us, it is important to include healthcare professionals. No one should be forced to enter into a process that violates their ethical convictions, as laid out in the Hippocratic Oath, among other things. Therefore, as part of assisted suicide, we propose that a register be set up for doctors who believe that assisted suicide is in accordance with their own ethical convictions.
Cases where active euthanasia is dignified
There are cases where a person is physically unable to perform the action themselves. In such cases with very severe disabilities we believe there is a human duty to hold the same rights as if you could dose your own medication.
Therefore, in cases where the case can be equated to assisted suicide, Volt is in favour.
In such cases, the doctor's involvement should be as minimal as possible, which is why Volt is in favour of euthanasia with certain conditions.
For reference, Volt distinguishes between three forms of terminating life upon request:
- Passive Euthanasia: Passive euthanasia occurs when the person dies because the medical professionals either don't do something necessary to keep the person alive, or when they stop doing something that is keeping the person alive, such as switch off life-support machines, disconnect a feeding tube, don't carry out a life-extending operation, or don't give life-extending drugs
- Assisted Suicide: A person makes the request out of their free will, not coerced or pressured by other persons, and with full conviction, to take their life, and seeks professional (typically doctor’s) assistance. Before undertaking Assisted Suicide, the person should first be given the opportunity to explore other life and death options available. To the very end, the person stays in full control of the process and is solely responsible for their death. The physician's role is to supply, but not to administer, the lethal drug.
- Active Euthanasia: Active euthanasia occurs, when a doctor, or another person, intentionally administers a fatal dose of medication to cause the patient's death at the patient's request and with full, informed consent. The main difference to assisted suicide is, that active euthanasia is entirely physician-mediated, including administration of the lethal dose, whereas persons committing assisted suicide administer the lethal dose to themselves.
Sources - in Danish
Vestergaard. J. (2000). Dødshjælp - dansk ret. Retsudvalget. Accessed through https://www.ft.dk/samling/20051/almdel/reu/bilag/621/281288.pdf
Det Etiske Råd. (2017, 11 December). Høring over vejledning i medikamentel palliation i terminalfasen. Accessed through https://nationaltcenterforetik.dk/Media/637788730322186533/2017%2012%2011%20medikamentel%20palliation.pdf
Volt. (2022). Mapping of Policies, Social Equatity https://assets.volteuropa.org/2022-12/MoP%209.0%20Challenge%203%20Social%20Equality.pdf
Det Etiske Råd. (2015). Passiv vs. aktiv dødshjælp. Accessed through https://web.archive.org/web/20150120031028/http://www.etiskraad.dk/da-dk/Tema/Aktiv-doedshjaelp/Temaer/Passiv-vs-aktiv-doedshjaelp.aspx
BBC. (n.d.). Living Wills. Accessed through https://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/euthanasia/overview/livingwills.shtml
Liv og Død 1. (n.d.). Aktiv Dødshjælp og passiv dødshjælp. Accessed through https://livogdoed.dk/temaer/aktiv-og-passiv-doedshjaelp/
Liv og Død 2. (n.d.). Behandlingstestamente. Accessed through https://livogdoed.dk/temaer/behandlingstestamente/
