While requests from terminally ill or severely depressed individuals who voluntarily choose to go to Switzerland to be admitted to expensive clinics and end their immense suffering are increasing, Pope Francis addresses in a long message the great theme of the loneliness of those affected by irreversible diseases and who no longer have any hope of recovery. "This is where palliative care comes into play, which guarantees the patient not only medical assistance, but also close human accompaniment." In addition, he added, their families cannot be left alone in the face of such intense dramas. The reflection developed by the Pope is addressed to Catholics around the world to whom he asked, in a video message, prayers for all "the sick in the terminal phase of their life, and for their families, so that they always receive the necessary care and accompaniment, both from a health and human perspective."
Any particularly severe terminally ill patient who no longer has any hope of recovery should be accompanied by doctors, psychologists, priests. The theme of euthanasia inevitably remains in the background.
"Every patient has the right to medical accompaniment (...) Sometimes they can't speak, sometimes we think they don't recognize us, but if we hold their hand we understand that they are in tune. Healing is not always achieved. But we can always take care of the patient, caress the patient," Bergoglio further emphasized.
Assisted suicide in Switzerland after the death of the son. The husband notified by a clinic email
EUROPE
In Europe, the first to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide were the Netherlands, which passed a law in 2002. Subsequently, the "Groningen protocol" was approved, which establishes the criteria to be respected for performing child euthanasia. Belgium was the first country to follow the example of the Netherlands. In 2003 it legalized euthanasia and in 2016 extended it to minors. Luxembourg approved the law legalizing euthanasia in 2009, becoming the third country in the European Union to decriminalize it. Spain was the fourth European country and the seventh in the world to decriminalize active euthanasia, approving the law in March 2021. Passive euthanasia and assisted suicide have been decriminalized in Spain since 1995. The law was one of the flagship battles of the socialist government of Pedro Sanchez.
Anna Maria Bigon, who is the Pd councilor who voted against the end of life law (defeating it)
Switzerland provides for both indirect active euthanasia (administration of substances whose side effects can reduce the duration of life), and passive euthanasia (discontinuation of care and life support devices), and assisted suicide. Lethal drugs can also be prescribed to foreign citizens, as long as the patient plays an active role in the administration of the drug. This practice was chosen in 2017 in the case of Fabiano Antoniani, also known as dj Fabo. France introduced with the Leonetti law of 2005 the concept of the right to "let die" (so-called passive euthanasia), which authorizes doctors to administer palliative care to alleviate pain.
Euthanasia is illegal throughout the UK. Currently, anyone caught committing assisted suicide commits a crime and can therefore be convicted of incitement to suicide up to 14 years in prison. In November 2021 the law on assisted suicide passed its second reading in the House of Lords. It aims to legalize the practice for terminally ill, mentally capable adults in their last six months of life.
In Portugal, both passive and active euthanasia are prohibited, but an ethical committee is allowed to stop heavier treatments in some desperate cases, excluding hydration and feeding. In Denmark and Norway, any form of euthanasia is illegal. Finland provides for passive euthanasia in its system. Active euthanasia is also prohibited in Sweden, while assisted suicide is tolerated
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