European Court of Human Rights Judge: "There is no right to suicide or to assisted suicide"

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Justice De Gaetano

The Times of Malta published a New Year's interview by Matthew Xuereb, with Chief Justice emeritas Vincent De Gaetano, of the European Court of Human Rights in Malta.

Xuereb asked Justice De Gaetano a question concerning euthanasia, assisted suicide and the Vincent Lambert case. Justice De Gaetano responded by stating:

One cannot do justice in a few words to a very complex legal and moral issue. Euthanasia, however much one tries to hedge the definition, flies in the face of human dignity. 

There is no right to suicide or to assisted suicide under the convention and no positive obligation to provide such.

Vincent Lambert

The Lambert case concerned the withdrawal of fluids and food from Vincent Lambert, who was incompetent to make medical decisions and whose wishes were unknown. Justice De Gaetano responded to this issue by stating:

In Lambert, the main issue was different, namely whether, in the absence of a clear indication of the patient’s will, ordinary care by way of food and hydration could be withdrawn. It was a form of disguised euthanasia.

The legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide does not provide individual rights but it gives doctors, or others, the right in law to cause your death.

Malta rejects euthanasia and proposes living wills.

Alex Schadenberg
International Chair - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Last week, a Maltese political party rejected euthanasia and decided instead to codify "living wills." 

The Malta Independent news published a statement from government Chairperson, Professor Arnold Cassola.

"A 'biological will' would allow a person, when still in full possession of one's intellectual faculties, to declare what kind of treatment to accept and whether to prolong or not in an artificial way - through the use of machines or other artificial systems - a life that would otherwise have naturally come to an end. The standards of palliative care should also be looked into to guarantee dignified end-of-life care for everyone." 

“Whilst AD does not agree with the termination of life through euthanasia, it is in favour of the drawing up of 'living wills' or 'biological wills.’”

It is good that the Maltese political parties are debating the issue of euthanasia and recognizing that euthanasia constitutes the termination of a human life.