Merchants of death or great humanitarians?

I24NEWS  –  Some call them “merchants of death”, others prefer simpler names – “murderers”, “killers”, when discussing practitioners of euthanasia, some of them organizations collecting a fee. The professionals, on the other hand, emphasize the assistance they offer than the suicide they facilitate.

This deeply emotional argument is not simply theoretical.

German politicians, for example, are planning to legislate tougher restrictions on assisted suicide, formulating a slogan that says: “Death cannot be a business.”

In France, lawmakers are debating a bill that would give doctors the right to place patients into a deep, painless and permanent sleep.

In the UK, where assisted dying is also currently under discussion, critics are concerned that vulnerable patients will choose death for fear of becoming a burden to their families and friends. The British Parliament has rejected multiple attempts to change the law which bans any form of assisted suicide and is now gearing for another vote. This time, efforts to foil the legislation are fueled by calls from the Netherlands, warning that “one out of five patients who chooses euthanasia may have succumbed to pressure from family members”.

With the number of elderly citizens in Western European states expected to increase by 30 to 40 percent in the coming two decades, the issue is becoming increasingly relevant.

In 2013, according to the latest data, 4,829 people across The Netherlands chose to have a doctor end their lives, triple the number of people who died this way in 2002. The Dutch can choose euthanasia if they can convince two physicians they endure “unbearable” suffering.

Dutch euthanasia expert Theo Boer, a member of review committees which asses each request, urged the UK parliament this month to avoid “the same mistake” that his country made in approving euthanasia, and to reject the proposed bill when it comes up for a vote in September.

Prime Minister David Cameron has already made his position clear: “I do not support euthanasia,” he told MPs last month, agreeing that pressure is put on “frail, elderly people to take a decision that actually they might not want to go ahead with.”

The Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxemburg are the only countries in the Europe Union to have decriminalized active euthanasia, but German law – modeled on the Swiss one – also permits professionals to supply patients with lethal medication, as long as they take the final step themselves.

Some feel this might be going too far. Bundestag members are now debating no less than four draft laws, each tightening the conditions. The vote is expected in the fall and will impact over 800 people who have already decided to die. It will probably give birth to a new law, which mainly targets organized assistance in suicide: It requires a close a personal relationship with the patient, prohibits any repetition of the act, and threatens offenders with up to three years in prison.

“We will appeal this decision to the constitutional court in Karlsruhe,” promised already Jakub Jaros, CEO of Sterbehilfe Deutschland, the only NGO in Germany to provide such services. In the five years it’s been operational, it has facilitated the death of 200 people, mostly by supplying them with a cocktail of deadly liquids. Hundreds more belong to the organization, and await the right time to seek its help.

“This bill is ridiculous, because if you don’t have any experience, you can’t do it correctly,” he told i24news. “Banning repeated assistance basically means that you can help your mother to die, but if your dad is also sick – you could go to jail for helping him too. How can you allow something to happen once and then forbid it? That’s unconstitutional.”

Chancellor Angela Merkel favors the suggested restrictions, saying “death and dying should have nothing to do with business.” But Jaros argues: “There must be a monetary aspect to our work, since me need money to function, but we’re an NGO – we legally can’t generate profit. Our sole interest is to help people, including those who cannot afford our services.”

The cost of assisted dying in Germany varies: Those who choose to become members ahead of time, as a sort of insurance, pay a fee of 200 euros per year, but those who require immediate assistance are asked to pay 7,000 euros – similar to the price list of the more-known Swiss Dignitas organization. “It’s extremely difficult, logistically, to help people straightaway,” emphasized Jaros, “and they pay the full amount only if they are able to. Those who do, help cover the cost of treatments for everyone else.”

“There’s no awareness, so people don’t plan ahead and view this as an option. They come to us when it’s almost too late,” said Jaros, who warned that more legislation would only serve as an additional deterrent. “We already feel we can’t reveal our member list, because the authorities might have those people committed to psychiatric facilities.”

Public opinion supports Jaros’ view.

A poll conducted last October by the Allensbach Institute showed that two-thirds of Germans support active euthanasia, a ten percent increase compared to 2008. In the UK, the support is also overwhelming: in a Populus survey from March, 82% of the public called for amending the law and allowing assisted dying.

“The politicians are losing touch with reality, they consider what the church says more than what the public think,” Jaros accuses.