CHECK Berlin/Brandenburg #6

Society
I WANT TO DECIDE
Self-determination and euthanasia
Photo: Sharon McCutcheon / unsplash
Bernd is in his early sixties and spends his time “getting through the day”. He actually
wants to die. He has had bone cancer for two years now. The morphine partly
works, but it does not remove the pain in his bones. Then there are the side effects:
insomnia, constipation, permanent confusion, to name just a few. He no longer
knows what the worst part of it all is anymore.
Bernd knows that he is still lucky. He is
financially secure and his partner has not left
him. There are numerous other fates. Without
relatives it can happen that you gradually
disappear into the hospital or care system and
are kept alive for as long as possible. Even
if you don't want it. It becomes particularly
difficult when you can no longer decide for
yourself, for example in the case of a (waking)
coma, senile dementia or a severe intellectual
disability.
Death connects people. Because it is an experience
that is universal in all cultures at all
times. But unlike, for example, at birth, when
everyone agrees that it should be designed as
best as possible and according to the wellbeing
of mother and child, opinions are divided
here. Can anyone imagine today that a mother
should bring a child into the world strictly
without outside interference? And for ethical
reasons? No. So why is it so controversial to
have a professional help us out when we die?
LAW AND MORALITY
The Hippocratic Oath is considered to be the
first fundamental formulation of medical
ethics. It is named after the Greek doctor
Hippocrates of Kos (around 460 to 370 BC) and
many medical professionals still refer to this
moral legacy in their decision-making. The
translation of the oath also contains the following
sentence: "I will not administer a lethal
poison to anyone, not even at their request, or
even advise them to do so." Directly followed
68 CHECK BERLIN/BRANDENBURG #6