Botched suicides and assisted suicides are relatively frequent among HIV-AIDS suffers, according to a submission to the ACT Legislative Assembly euthanasia inquiry.
The submission by the AIDS Action Council was one of 130 made public by the select committee on euthanasia yesterday.
The council said, “”In many of these cases the botched attempt has reduced the quality of life abysmally but the options for suicide have also become more limited.”
In some cases HIV-AIDS sufferers had not informed, or felt they could not inform, others of their suicide attempt, so that those finding them have called ambulances when they are unconscious.
It supported many aspects of the Voluntary and Natural Death Bill under scrutiny by the committee.
It said nursing staff were placed in the position of either administering a pain reliever that might bring forward death or feeling they should lower the dosage so as not to cause death but result in greater pain. The Bill would end this dilemma.
Nearly all of the individual submissions opposed the Bill, mainly on religious grounds. Most individual submissions were one- or two- page statements of opposition saying life was a gift from God; the euthanasia Bill could lead to Nazi-style exterminations; there would not be enough protection against abuse; society should preserve life; and it was against medical ethics.
The Bill provides: “”A person who is of sound mind and has attained the age of 18 years may make a direction that in the event he or she suffers a terminal illness _ (a) extraordinary measures shall not be applied to him or her; or (b) a drug for the purpose of inducing his or her death shall be administered or provided to him or her.”
There are various safeguards, including the participation of medical practitioners and witnessing of the declaration.
The Australian Medical Association rejected active euthanasia, but supported the provisions in the Bill on withholding or withdrawing medical treatment from the terminally ill. It said the deliberately ending of the life or a patient even at the patient’s request or at the request of relatives was unethical.
Representatives from the School of Nursing at the University of Canberra said, “”We support an individual’s right (which already exists in common law) to refuse treatment. However, we cannot under any circumstances accept active termination of life.”
The Nurses Board of the ACT had a similar view and thought that in any case the role of nurses should be clarified in the Bill.
The Catholic Social Justice Commission said, “”A patient always has the right to request withdrawal of treatment or refuse it entirely in the first instance. That this is not always known indicates a lack of communication between doctors and patients, or their families.”
It quoted Catholic doctrine as saying, “”It is permitted in conscience to take the decision to refuse forms of treatment that would only secure a precarious and burdensome prolongation of life.”
The chairman of Calvary Hospital, Pat Brazil, said doctor-assisted suicide “”is contrary to the basic philosophy of the health services offered at our hospitals.” However, “”the application of measures which have as their primary purpose the improvement in a patient’s condition, for example, the relief of pain that is unachievable in other ways, but which may have the secondary consequence of shortening life, is morally correct. These matter do not necessarily require legislation”.
The Australian Family Association called for a greater distinction between passive euthanasia (withholding treatment) and active euthanasia (administering drugs to induce death).
The Lutherans for Life objected to deliberate shortening of life but thought requests to end treatment should be honoured.
The ACT Right to Life Association said it was for those who called for change to make a case for it. There was no evidence that well-informed members of the medical profession sought a change.
The association was opposed to any diminution of protection given by law to innocent human life.
The ACT Churches Council said, “”Pain is not always bad. Caring for sufferers can develop in people a deep compassion towards others. . . . Life on this earth does have an ending. There is a time to die. Death is not a failure, merely an end to this transitory life.”
The AIDS Action Council said it was not an offence to attempt suicide. “”This raises an anomaly whereby a person can be criminally charged for helping in an act which in itself is now legal. In other areas of the law this would usually be quickly recognised and resolved. However, the issue of euthanasia and voluntary death is subject to significant fear, prejudice and social pressure.”
It said, “”Suicide and assisted suicide occur relatively frequently in people with HIV-AIDS. Some of this is triggered by panic, hopelessness and depression.
People close to HIV-AIDS sufferers were worried about their uncertain legal position if they helped sufferers commit suicide, the council said. That was why it supported the Bill.
In some cases people present at a suicide had been interviewed by police. And in some an inquest had been ordered.
The Bill would relieve the suiciding sufferer from concern over prosecution of helpers in the suicide and relieve friends of the further trauma of questioning after the death.
The committee will now consider the 200,000 words of submissions, will go to Melbourne and Adelaide where changes to the law have been made, hold public hearings in February and report to the Assembly in mid-March.