Euthanasia is a complex, multi-faceted issue.

It has objective
and subjective components which straddle scientific, religious,
ethical, societal and practical concerns.

What is Euthanasia?

Euthanasia is a word coined from Greek in the 17th century

meaning well death. Euthanasia, then, is inducing the painless
death of a person who is severely debilitated for reasons assumed to
be merciful, either through voluntary, nonvoluntary, involuntary
means (Hendin, 2004). Voluntary euthanasia involves the consent
of the patient to perform the treatment. Nonvoluntary euthanasia is
conducted when the permission of the patient is unavailable maybe
because of state of coma, or instances when babies are born with
significant birth defects. Involuntary euthanasia is seldom practiced
for it is performed against the will of the patient. All these types of
euthanasia applies methods such as removing the life-supporting
devices, injection of drugs, inhalation of carbon monoxide or
helium, dehydration, and intake of suicide pills. However, moral and
ethical methods, such as voluntary euthanasia, and methods not
involving painful outcomes are the ones commonly practiced. These
methods are done to patients who are terminally-ill; that is patients
who have impossible chance of recovering from the disease, or if
ever cured, does not function in good health and will be under
vegetative state.

In the Philippines, euthanasia is not legal for the reason of the

predominance of the religious communities which hinders the
ratification of the Euthanasia Bill. Also, the majority of the Filipinos
value the Christian doctrine as the foundation of their conviction.
However, it is still practiced by some, mostly are from the poor
segment of the country. They have no other choice but to use
euthanasia to stop the patient from suffering, and to avoid expenses
on medical treatments. Additionally, medical technologies and
professionals here in the Philippines are not entirely advanced.
Common Filipino physicians may have inadequate skills to
efficiently cure complicated diseases. If medications reach to the
point of life-or-death matter, operations, at times, result to failure,
making all treatments paid by the relatives of the patient result in
vain.. Likewise, medical technologies are not completely available to
cure various diseases; if ever it is, it will cost a tremendous price.

What is the stand of the Church? What is the stand of the State?

The stand of the Church that euthanasia is still immoral and

unethical is the prime reason of the unacceptability of this.
According to the most recent version of the Catechism of the
Catholic Church (2003), All forms of suicide and euthanasia
remain strictly prohibited Voluntary co-operation in suicide is
contrary to the moral law Sick or handicapped persons should be
helped to lead lives as normal as possible. And according to Pope
John Paul II, Euthanasia must not be called false mercy, and
indeed a disturbing perversion of mercy. True compassion leads to
sharing anothers pain. It does not kill the person whose suffering
we cannot bear. Also, some people believe that compassion is no
guarantee against doing harm. A physician who does not know how
to relieve a patients suffering may compassionately, but
inappropriately, agree to end the patients life. Patient autonomy is
just an illusion when physicians are not trained to assess and treat
patient suffering. The less they know how to treat these suffering,
the more they favor assisted suicide or euthanasia; and the more
frequent they do it, the more they prescribe it. Until, then, the only
choices left for patients become continued agony or a hastened
death. A part of the Hippocratic Oath states that physicians must
value the life of their patient and never suggest anyone a way
towards suicide. Under the Philippine Constitution of 1987 (Article
II, Section 11), the State values the dignity of every human person
and guarantees full respect for human rights. Therefore, euthanasia
contradicts both the Hippocratic Oath and the Philippine
Constitution.

In contrast, Euthanasia gives terminally-ill patients a medical

treatment of choosing between a prolonged life of agonizing pain or
a peaceful death. It is not a compulsory treatment, in which every
patient who has little or no chance of recovering will have to choose
euthanasia. Euthanasia is granted with the will of the patient or
the surrogate of the patient and it is only upon their request that
physicians perform it. The legalization of euthanasia does not aspire
to violate the ethical and moral code, but rather just provide an
option to those who need it. For example, to consider that financial
cost of keeping a person alive being dependent on a life-support
machine is very enormous, and that 80% of the Filipinos live in
poverty, how can the family afford keeping the patient on life
support, knowing that the patient will be in vegetative state, no
matter how he was kept alive? With the statistics that only 2 out of
10 terminally-ill patients survives because of proper medication, it
is then illogical to hope for the patient with no enough money for
medication to recover from severe diseases; this then results to
euthanasia. And since euthanasia takes place anyway, even without
the ratification of the bill, it is better to legalize it so that it will be
practiced under careful guidance, doctors will have to report these
activities, and so that physicians will not have any responsibility
over the death of the patient.

Did you know?

Human euthanasia policies have also been developed by a

variety of NGOs, most notably medical associations and advocacy
organizations. As of June 2016, human euthanasia is legal in the
Netherlands, Belgium, Colombia, and Luxembourg. Assisted suicide
is legal in Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Canada, and in the US
states of Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Vermont, Montana,
Washington DC, and California.

Possibly the first in the history of the Congress of the

Philippines, a voluntary euthanasia or mercy killing and living
will-related proposal known as Senate Bill No. 1887 or the Natural
Death Act was filed by the late Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago.
The bill seeks to recognize the fundamental right of adult persons to
decide their own health care, including the decision to have life-
sustaining treatment withheld or withdrawn in instances of a
terminal condition or permanent unconscious condition.

Euthanasia, even though contradicted by religious

communities, still has to be legalized for the benefit of the incurable
and hopeless patients, including their relatives. This legalization
will improve further the system of planning, performing, and
recording of euthanasia, since it takes place inevitably. Likely, the
issue regarding the ratification of the Euthanasia Bill of the
Philippines is still on its formative period, in which there is no
consistency whether where the topic will go further in the future.
With both sides reflected in the preceding paragraphs, it is evident
that, it could become a loud argument, once again, especially
between the State and the Church.