No compromise

The “Dignitas” case: the Swiss organization that practices euthanasia is an urgent issue in Germany. According to data issued by the organization, 57% of those who asked to put an end to their lives with sodium pentobarbital (195 is the overall number) were German. Several members of different political parties expressed their intention to introduce further legislation to prevent the practice of euthanasia in Germany. Personalities within the Church and from civil society expressed their firm condemnation of Dignitas’ attempt at revaluating euthanasia. AMBIGUOUS PURPOSES . On past November 20, Catholic and Protestant bishops warned against a derogation to the prohibition of active euthanasia. “We cannot accept compromise”, said the President of the Bishops Conference cardinal KARL LEHMANN in an interview with the German Catholic news agency Kna. “Policies should be capable of preventing the establishment of grey zones and ensure a consensus on values”. Cardinal Lehmann defined Dignitas’ purposes ‘ambiguous’, expressing “a dark cynicism and a culture of death”. The Protestant bishop of Berlin who is also the President of the Evangelical Church Council (Ekd), WOLFGANG HUBER , spoke of a “targeted violation of legislation”. “Dignitas is trying to repeal the violation of death on demand”, he declared to a Hannover daily . These, according to the Cardinal, are plans “which violate German legislation and medical ethics”. AN ANTI-CHRISTIAN CONCEPT. The bishop of Hildesheim, Monsignor NORBERT TRELLE , said he is “deeply upset” about the news, released by the Swiss organization Dignitas, of a retired doctor willing to practice euthanasia in Germany to a seriously ill patient. “I am very disappointed about the fact that a doctor is willing to support suicide. This goes against medical ethics”, Trelle affirmed. “Our society can in no way permit the repeal of prohibition of active euthanasia”, he added. “This stand is against the Christian concept of dignified death and ignores the divine commandment of serving and safeguarding life”. The bishop supported the requests of the hospice working community of the Lower Saxony Land for the development of an association network giving assistance to the seriously ill and terminal patients which would prevent resorting to euthanasia as a solution. “This is why I urge politicians to fight the unquestionable suffering of many by actively promoting palliative medicine and the activity of hospices”, the bishop claimed. WORKING FOR LIFE . In a radio program on November 21, the president of the Federal Order of German doctors (Bäk), JÖRG-DIETRICH HOPPE , clearly asked the introduction of legislation prohibiting active euthanasia carried out as professional activity. Mr. Hoppe’s stand follows the German government’s envisaged plan to introduce legal action against professional mediation activity to implement euthanasia, and consider it as a crime. Mr. Hoppe criticized the purposes of the organization Dignitate, the twin association of the Swiss Dignitas, which consists in helping patients to die. “Death isn’t part of medical practice or assistance: it’s been this way since the time of Hippokrates” – he claimed – “people should know that we are engaged in the preservation of life. Doctors have the duty to prevent useless suffering, this doesn’t mean they will put them to death”. Mr. Hoppe spoke against euthanasia on various occasions. In a previous declaration, issued on November 13, he said: “we cannot accept the infringement of a taboo which deeply questions the human side of our society.” On that occasion, Hoppe had highlighted the alternatives to euthanasia. “Instead of offering death more pain-treatment therapies should be available along with psychological assistance and mostly there should be greater human availability towards individual suffering. The quality of life of incurable patients should be safeguarded. This is why we need a good palliative medicine and wide range hospice activity. In this way we will ensure that life is concluded with dignity and without pain”.