Letters | Hong Kong owes its terminally ill a serious discussion on euthanasia

Readers discuss why the city needs a citywide consultation on euthanasia, and the proposal to ban minors from buying cigarettes

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A man holds a placard reading “To choose to die without suffering” during a demonstration in support of a law legalising euthanasia in Madrid on March 18, 2021. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:30am, 23 Nov 2022

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Recently, a television programme focused on euthanasia. It featured a patient suffering from spinocerebellar ataxia, who has lost most of her movement and speech. This has put tremendous strain on her mother who is caring for her. The patient, whose intellectual capacity is not hindered by the illness, has indicated her desire for euthanasia.

Euthanasia is the practice of deliberately ending a person’s life to eliminate pain and suffering. Only a few jurisdictions around the world, including the Netherlands, Canada and Switzerland, permit euthanasia, or assisted suicide as an alternative, under certain conditions to ensure the practice is not abused. In some countries, euthanasia is permitted only for those with terminal diseases.

In those jurisdictions, euthanasia legally provides a way out for those who desperately need to end their life in a peaceful and dignified manner. Non-citizens travel to those jurisdictions for such services. When properly supervised and regulated, euthanasia serves the interests of the very ill, whether they can consciously make the decision or not, for instance, those with severe dementia or in a persistent vegetative state.

This could also help relieve the stress of their carers, who not only have to take care of them physically, but also to watch them endure pain. In the absence of euthanasia in Hong Kong, people have sometimes resorted to killing their spouse or family member.

There has been no citywide consultation on euthanasia in Hong Kong. It is often opposed with ethical or religious arguments. Some argue that euthanasia could open the floodgates and encourage people to take their lives easily which would be detrimental to society at large, or that it would reduce medical professionals’ incentive to treat severe diseases.

A well-designed regulatory framework could address most of these concerns. As with issues related to human organ transplants or human reproductive technologies, which also involve moral considerations, a committee could be set up to decide whether a case for euthanasia should be approved on the basis of individual merit. As for the standard and threshold for such applications, it should be open to debate so the public can arrive at a consensus.