Assisted Euthanasia and the Right to Dignity

Assisted euthanasia is always a sensitive topic, and a recent study of New Zealand GPs has revealed that 11.8% admitted having intervened to help a terminally ill and suffering patient to die.
The survey was conducted by New Zealand Doctor, and with a sample size of only 110 GPs was very small, however it reflects similar sentiments in Australia where former GP, now Australian Greens leader Richard Di Natale has led the Dying With Dignity bill.
With thinkpieces doing the rounds on whether clinical depression is an acceptable reason for voluntary euthanasia, there is also a debate on whether euthanasia should only be for the dying, or if those with life-limiting diseases should also be allowed access (in Australia, anyway).
In the New Zealand survey, the result was 44.5% yes and 47.3% no, with 8.2% undecided when asked whether doctors should have a role in assisting terminally people to die.
Opinion was even closer on the question of whether doctors should be given legal protection for assisting with voluntary euthanasia, with 45.5% saying they should and 44.5% saying they should not (10% undecided).
Whether or not the person wants to die, end of life care needs to be treated with dignity, says the Australian College of Nursing. It is the healthcare professional’s job to to ensure the patient is comfortable, respected and shown compassion.
The principle remains the same: Care providers must be able to see the people they provide care to as a person rather than the illness that they have.
The Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Society has 10 principles of care and decision-making at the end of life for the critically ill. Number 5 is particularly poignant in this debate:
“The adult patient who has the capacity to decide is entitled to refuse or withdraw consent for any treatment at any time, even if this may shorten his or her life. “
The law that relates to end-of-life care (as for other areas of medical practice) tends to emphasise the principle of autonomy. Autonomy is important given that the patient’s perception of their best interests may diff er from that of their healthcare professionals. Patients will not always want treatment that health professionals believe is in their best interests. A patient with the capacity to decide, however, has the right to choose from, or refuse, the treatments that are on off er, even if that refusal places their lives in jeopardy