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Proposed Spanish Euthanasia Law Would Fine Doctors for "Unjustified Measures" to Prolong Lives of Patients

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman

September 4, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The socialist government of the Spanish province of Andalucia is considering new legislation that could fine doctors up to one million euros for "unjustified and useless measures for prolonging life", according to the Spanish newspaper El Pais.
 
The bill, which is called the "Law of Rights and Guarantees of the Dignity of People in the Process of Death" will dictate that doctors have "the obligation to limit life support measures when it is deemed necessary to avoid therapeutical excess" according to an announcement by the provincial government.

El Pais reports that the draft of the law "accepts palliative sedation even if it shortens the life of the patient".

The president of the Andaluz Council of Medical Colleges, Carlos Gonzalez-Vilardell, denounced the idea, saying he opposed putting doctors "under the sword of Damocles in the face of possible fines".

"To act under the fear of something that goes against ethical criteria of the doctor himself is dangerous," said Gonzalez-Vilardell, and added that medical professionals "do not want to practice their profession badly nor to receive training, but rather wish to labor to aid life as well as a good death."

Human Life International President Fr. Thomas Euteneuer remarked that "Pope Benedict XVI, before he was elected, talked about the 'dictatorship of relativism'.  This is an example of it.

"It's not that the culture of death is satisfied with killing babies.  It's not that the culture of death is going to stop at just allowing immoral practices.  They are now trying to coerce them, in a totalitarian fashion.  We can expect to see more of this type of legal activism in our legislatures and in our courts in the western world."

The proposed law follows a recent high-profile meeting between Spain's Justice Minister Mariano Fernandez Bermejo, and representatives of the "Association for the Right to Die with Dignity", in mid-August.  Responding to the group's petition, which included the legalization of euthanasia and suicide, Fernandez Bermejo responded that the government was passing through "a period of profound reflection" over the matter.

"It is a concern of the Government that terminally ill patients who experience serious suffering are able to pass through that time of life in the best possible way," he added.

Despite the interest of Spain's socialist politicians in the legalization of euthanasia, the nation's medical community has shown little interest.

When Dr. Luis Montes issued a much-publicized declaration in July advocating the legalization of euthanasia, he was able to attract only a few signatures.  One newspaper wrote that it "hasn't awakened the slightest interest within the medical profession."

Previous LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Spanish Euthanasia Advocates Launch Legalization Campaign
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jul/08071808.html

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