Killing The Elderly or Simply Tiresome

Down in our neighbouring state of Victoria they are apparently considering permitting euthanasia by 2019.  By which time anyone who wants it now will probably already be safely dead.

It has to be admitted that there are a number of advantages to euthanasia.  For a left leaning government (such as the one in Victoria) the knowledge that the elderly tend to be more conservative might help them feel a little better about a certain judicious culling of the electoral roll.  For conservatives one can simply point to the reduction in welfare dollars that need to be spent keeping the elderly alive if we stop actually doing that.  For the nearest and dearest of those currently suffering through their final months of existence there will be the relief of knowing that a large proportion of the family's wealth has finally been removed from the hands of those who made it.  That's even before we get to the individual who is actually the subject of the process.  And by "process" I mean killing.

I've got to admit that I don't see suicide as a particular tragedy (except, of course, for those directly affected).  If somebody wants to leave I don't necessarily see that we should force them to stay.  But euthanasia isn't suicide, it is killing someone.  Certainly they may desire this outcome, certainly it may be a relief from an existence made unbearable by pain, misery or sheer boredom.  But it's still killing.  I'm not a die hard opponent of killing people either, under certain specific circumstances.  I just think we need to be awfully careful about how we go about it and about how we view it both individually and as a society.

It's very easy to get used to something.  If something is easy and peaceful and condoned by law it soon becomes the norm rather than the exception.  The biggest problem I have with euthanasia is that I don't think people should be allowed to get used to killing other people.  Normally if you lose your temper, or make a mistake or commit an error of judgement then you can apologise and make amends.  That doesn't really work if you've killed someone.  At least not in any practical way.

To be fair the committee in Victoria seems to have been alive (sorry about the pun) to this and has put in what seem to me to be some pretty good safeguards.  They will have to be better than good.  Because the very first thing that will happen is that those safeguards will be tested and the established boundaries will be pushed and if any weakness is shown then the precedent will become the new normal and will be tested and pushed in its turn.

For what it's worth (nothing actually) here is what I would deem the absolute minimum before permitting a killing, sorry; assisted suicide.

• An explicit request from the patient
• Stringent medical review of the patient's circumstances including the offering of all possible alternatives
• psychological evaluation of the patient to confirm they are of sound mind (whatever that means)
• The option for the patient to change their mind for any reason or none without question or judgement right up until the moment of death
• Consultation (chaperoned) with the immediate family of the patient
• Confirmation of the desire from the patient
• The actual killing to be done by the patient themselves
• Under no circumstances will a patient incapable (for whatever reason) of making their wishes known be killed.  No previous statements of intent however legally correct will be considered acceptable

There are probably loopholes in the above that a lawyer could drive a bus through (no doubt running down a few of the terminally ill along the way) but you get the idea.  Of course such killing should be done as painlessly as possible and in an appropriate medical facility.  However once the technicalities of killing the patient have been set up the doctor should then leave the room.  Doctors should not be involved in killing patients except by accident.

Two more things;  Get rid of the term "euthanasia".  Call it what it is; killing.  Make sure everyone involved knows that what is happening is a killing.  Sugar coating can come later when we're comforting the bereaved.

And now the final thing.  Medical practitioners who are advocates of euthanasia should not be allowed within a million miles of these decisions.  If there is one thing I don't trust it's a doctor who wants to kill his patients.