LEGAL EUTHANASIA PROPOSED FOR SOUTH AFRICA

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 23 (LSN) – The South African Law Commission has drawn up a bill legalizing euthanasia in South Africa. Pro-Life South Africa informed LifeSite that the bill attempts to give legal validity to advance directives, or the so-called “living will” (such as is advocated by the SA Voluntary Euthanasia Society) and indemnifies doctors who act according to such directives.  The proposed legislation allows doctors under prescribed conditions to authorize the withdrawal of artificial feeding of a terminally ill patient, with or without a directive and with or without the patient’s consent. Voluntary active euthanasia, i.e. direct killing by lethal agent, is boldly proposed as an option in the bill. The legislation merely requires a doctor who performs “legal” euthanasia on his own authority (after consultation with one other doctor) to record the matter on the patient’s file. Doctors would also be allowed to assist patients to commit suicide by providing them with the necessary means. Furthermore,  the bill is not restricted to the terminally ill. Anyone enduring physical or mental suffering with little hope of relief could be a candidate for active euthanasia.