THE END OF LIFE CHOICE REFERENDUM - 1

 My eldest daughter recently asked me what my opinion was about the euthanasia referendum that is currently taking place in NZ, and also to specify whether I was giving this opinion as a Muslim or a doctor.

I told her that since Muslims constitute only about 1 % of the population of NZ, and this Act does not 'force' Muslims to do anything they do not wish to do, I would rather give my opinion as a doctor. But even before that we need to consider a question of a more philosophical nature as a human being. The question is, “Do ‘human beings’ have a right to decide what other human beings can or cannot do with their lives?”

Even as a general psychiatrist you occasionally see patients who are suffering from a terminal illness. I remember a patient from a few years ago who was younger than me, completely physically healthy, and doing a full-time job. She then developed some symptoms and, to her shock, the scanning showed advanced cancer which had spread so much that it was beyond treatment.

She was referred to us because she was experiencing strong suicidal thought. The great dilemma we faced in her treatment was that while it may have been ‘legally’ justifiable to place her under the Mental Health Act and try to treat her ‘Depression’ to reduce her risk of suicide, would it have been ethically and morally justifiable to put her through all that unpleasantness when she had already been told that she may only have a few more months to live?

I still remember thinking what decision I would have made if I was in her place. If I am brutally honest, I will only really know the answer to that question if I am placed in that situation. Until then, it is just a theoretical exercise. The extreme pain and suffering I witnessed while seeing this patient over the next few weeks, made me realize that I will never presume to be able to tell another human being what decision they should make under similar circumstances.