WYA Releases Appendix for Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia White Paper
June 17, 2020 – Last fall, the World Youth Alliance launched a White Paper on Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia. The white paper examines those risks, looking at the ways in which the practices undermine, rather than support, patient autonomy, as medical professionals decide which conditions justify ending someone’s life. These judgments are susceptible to family pressure, and can reflect stigma and discriminatory attitudes about living with disability.
This year, an appendix has been released as an additional resource. Many proponents of assisted suicide and euthanasia suggest that it will be used in very limited cases. The appendix, however, demonstrates the expansive nature and scope of these laws, even among those considered more restrictive. It also shows how easily the reasons used to justify assisted suicide and euthanasia for mentally competent, terminally ill adults turn into reasons to justify expanding the practice to those who are not likely to die soon, those whose suffering is based in mental illness, and even children. Despite the finality of the act, authorities review only doctors’ own reports, almost entirely after the fact, when nothing can be changed. Taking each country or state in turn, the appendix provides a clear summary of the laws in each, and highlights developments, news, and key figures from official reports, complementing and supplementing the white paper’s arguments. The appendix on the Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia White Paper can be accessed through the WYA website.
