Today I want to share an essay with you I have written already a while ago in preparation for an exam in my English studies. Enjoy reading~
Should
Assisted Suicide be legalized in Germany?
Recently the topic of the right to die in case of a terminal illness has been controversially discussed. While assisted suicide is allowed in Benelux states and especially in Switzerland, there is no consistent law regulating the legal situation in Germany. This essay will argue why indirect and passive euthanasia should be legalized and active assisted suicide should be prohibited.
In the last few years “suicide tourism” has
become popular in Switzerland: From 2008 to 2012 950 cases of active euthanasia
have been registered. Associations of doctors or other societies offer their
support for 3000 Swiss Francs and especially tempt Germans and British with a
quick and painless death. Germany does not agree with these guidelines: Lately
it has been debated in the Bundestag which kinds of euthanasia shall be
punished in which ways. The majority voted for a law generally forbidding
assisted suicide, especially a ban on “business euthanasia” of doctors and
societies.
The case of active assisted suicide is illegal
in Germany: Doctors are not allowed to end somebody’s life on purpose with high
doses of anesthetics, painkillers or lethal medicines, even though it is the
wish of the patient. This deed can be sentenced with five years of
imprisonment.
At the beginning of their medical activities, a
doctor has to vow the Horatian oath: They promise to always act in the will of
the patient. If somebody receives the diagnosis of a terminal illness and
decides to end their life quickly, the doctor should not argue against this last
wish. While it is prohibited to kill a patient, the doctor can choose other
options: With the help of the indirect kind of assisted suicide the doctor can
prescribe anesthetics to the patient to shorten their suffering, enabling a
quick and painless death.
A doctor can also end the patient’s life in a
passive way by controlling life-supporting activities, for example by turning
off a ventilator. Also in this case the patient must have declared their
agreement on waiver, or the relatives have to prove it in a reliable way. In
both cases the indirect and passive assisted suicide the doctor not only cannot
be punished but also will be sentenced because of “rendered assistance”.
The legal situation is more difficult when it
comes to euthanasia in a narrower sense, for example when prescribing sleeping
pills to the patient. When the try to commit suicide fails and the doctor does
not try to save the patient’s life, they can be punished because of “rendered
assistance” as well.
Assisted suicide only should be allowed in
serious cases and when it is absolutely safe that it is in the patient’s will
and for their benefit. Helping somebody to end their life in a quick and
painless way is more in the sense of humanity and the Horatian oath than
artificially prolonging an unnatural suffering. Active euthanasia should not be
legalized though: The patient has to induce their death themselves so that the
doctor cannot be sentenced for a direct deed.
Thank you for reading and see you soon!
Junsui~
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