Letter to editor

The Evil of Euthanasia

9 August 2013 at 23:15 | 18078 views

By Clemente Ferrer.

Belgium sanctioned a law on euthanasia that came into force in 2002. A law incited by Holland. In both countries the process was controversial due to the opposition that it had to endure.

A professor at the University of Hull (United Kingdom), Raphael Cohen-Almagor, has done research published in the journal “Issues in Law & Medicine.

This article reviewed the historical causes and legal developments as well as the repeated abuses against life. Thus, the main proposal of the teacher is verified: it is assumed that euthanasia is an outdated issue in hospitals of the country. He says that there is much to be done so that law enforcement does not mislead people.

The investigation with dozens of hours of interviews by prominent doctors in the country and the reflections of fifteen years of travel for the main policlinics of Belgium, England, United States, Canada, Holland, Australia and New Zealand give us the following conclusion: “According to the testimony of heads of department and ethics committees, patients cling to life at all costs. Most of them want to die because they are afraid to suffer. However, when doctors control the pain many of those who expressed the wish to die change their attitude and want to continue living."

Medical adherence to deontological codes are pressing demands. The challenge of doctors is to use properly their influence on patients. In effect, “doctors have to be aware of the enormous role that their advice can have on the treatment chosen by their patients."

Now, the extension of euthanasia to infants and the elderly with mental and other diseases such as cancer or schizophrenia is discussed in Belgium. Accepting that disabled people do not deserve to live is the next step to approving euthanasia.

Euthanasia is a grave abuse of God’s law because it is a deliberate and morally unacceptable destruction of a human being.

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