Euthanasia, otherwise known as assisted dying, is a highly disputed topic worldwide. Having grown up as a staunch catholic I have always been strongly against euthanasia. As Catholics we are taught from a young age that it is not up to us to decide when we want to end our life but it is up to that of a higher power (God). However throughout my years as a student physiotherapist, I have been exposed to a large amount of pain and sadness form working with terminally ill patients. While I was working in the oncology ward at Groote Schuur hospital, I had a few patients say that they wanted to die and that they had lived a fulfilling life. I was quite taken aback by this as I wasn’t quite sure of how to respond, so I tried to maintain a positive attitude but it forced me question more about euthanasia as I could see the excruciating pain they were in.

What about the Hippocratic Oath? It is the law which every doctor and practicing practitioner adheres to both in South Africa and the World. This oath states that “To please no one will I prescribe a deadly drug nor give advice which may cause death”. (North, 2002) As a doctor, in agreeing to this oath, one is declaring that one will do all that is within the best interest of the patient and within the law. Therefore in partaking in such an event as euthanasia they are directly violating this code. However there are many that could argue that this oath is outdated and should no longer apply, but it ensures the protection of both medical practitioners and patients.

While researching I realised that euthanasia has been legalised in many countries around the world and there are countries constantly fighting to legalise assisted dying. The first countries to legalise euthanasia was the Netherlands and Belgium in 2002 (Guardian, 2014).  The Netherlands imposed a strict set of conditions which had to be adhered to by each doctor. The patient must be suffering unbearable pain, their illness must be incurable and the patient must be mentally competent. Any medical doctor can administer a lethal dose of medicine which the patient takes them self (Guardian, 2014). However since 2010 there have been a few physicians who are being investigated due to helping individuals end their life who didn’t fit the correct criteria (Boffey, 2018).

Euthanasia is known as active assisted suicide in Switzerland, however doctors aren’t allowed to prescribe a lethal drug (Guardian, 2014).  The conditions for assisted suicide in Switzerland are as follows; individual must commit suicide by their own hand, individual must be fully aware of his or her actions and be given due consideration to their situation. Individuals must be certain of what they want to do and not be under the influence of another person or group (Mills, 2018.)  Assisted suicide takes place at certain facilities in which individuals receive counselling individually as well as with their families over the period of 6 weeks to ensure that this is the individual’s decision and that they are aware of the procedures (Mills, 2018.)  Sodium phenobarbital is used as it causes the heart muscle to stop beating. A professional prepares the needle but the patient has to open the valve to allow the substance to enter the blood stream. Within 20 to 30 seconds after entering the blood stream the patient falls asleep (Mills, 2018.)

Throughout the world there are organisations which have formed in order to help legalise assisted dying.  In South Africa there is a non-profit organisation known as Dying with Dignity SA. The organisation started in 2011 and their vision is to live in a world where individuals have the right to self-autonomy in end-of-life decisions (Rousseau, 2018.) An article was published on news 24 which spoke about why South Africa is not equipped for euthanasia to be legalised. It continues to say that due to the large amount of corruption, doctors may administered the drug to individuals who are willing to pay and not question who or what the drug is for (Davis, 2016.)

Therefore it is very easy to say that one is against euthanasia but what if we were the individual that was in excruciating pain? How would we feel then? So even though I am catholic and I have always been against assisted dying, I feel that if it is done in the manner which Switzerland uses and that you have to go to a facility in order for it to be done then it can be legalised within South Africa. However due to the large amount of poverty in South Africa these facilities will only be available to the wealthier population.

References:

Boffey, D. (2018). Dutch prosecutors to investigate euthanasia cases after sharp rise. Available: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/12/dutch-prosecutors-investigate-euthanasia-cases-sharp-rise-docter-assisted-deaths-netherlands. Last accessed 6 October 2018.

Davis, A. (2016). SA not ‘educated enough’ for euthanasia. Available: https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/sa-not-educated-enough-for-euthanasia-20161104. Last accessed 6 October 2018.

Guardian, S. (2014). Euthanasia and assisted suicide laws around the world. Available: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jul/17/euthanasia-assisted-suicide-laws-world. Last accessed 6 October 2018.

Mills, G. (2018). What you need to know about assisted suicide in Switzerland. Available: https://www.thelocal.ch/20180503/what-you-need-to-know-about-assisted-death-in-switzerland. Last accessed 6 October 2018.

North, M. (2002). The Hippocratic Oath. Available: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/greek/greek_oath.html. Last accessed 6 October 2018.

Rousseau, J. (2018). Dying with Dignity. Available: http://www.dignitysa.org/blog/home/?doing_wp_cron=1538823839.3484590053558349609375. Last accessed 6 October 2018.