Birth, old age, sickness and death are the eternal laws of nature, but when it comes to death, I am afraid that no one can be truly fearless.
With the continuous development of society and the progress of science and technology,The term "euthanasia" is gradually appearing in people's lives, which has caused widespread heated discussions.
Among the many stories,Euthanasia has become a means of allowing seriously ill patients to die peacefully and bring them relief
So, what kind of death is euthanasia?Is there really no pain?
Euthanasia, as the name suggests,It refers to a peaceful death without pain, the medical definition is:Stop** or use drugs for patients who cannot be treated, and let the patient** die a miserable death.
The word "euthanasia" is derived from the Greek,It means to die "happily"., which mainly includes two layers of meaningThe first is the bitter death of Anle, the death of Anran, and the second is the lethalization technique, which takes lethal measures to end the patient's suffering.
In China, it is defined as a patient suffering from an incurable disease who is in a dying state, due to extreme mental and physical suffering, at the request of the patient and his relatives and friends, with the approval of a doctorThe humane method is used to make the patient end the course of life in a state of suffering.
At present, there are three main ways that are more common in countries where "euthanasia" is legalizedThe first way is to inject cyanide into the patient's body, so that the patient dies of heart failure while falling asleep.
The second way is to put the patient to sleep with sleeping pills, and then inject an anesthetic with a breathing suppression effect, so that the patient passes by suffocation.
The third way is to put the patient to sleep with an anesthetic, and then inject a coagulant to block the veins, so that the blood flow in the body gradually slows down until it stops flowing, thus causing the death of the patient.
From these three ways, euthanasia is not as painless as people say, don't look at the patient walking so peacefully, but in the time of medication,The patient suffers more than you can imagine, which also confirms the truth that long pain is not as good as short pain.
In fact, the use of these reagents,It will have a certain impact on the patient's physiologyFor example, there will be breathlessness, heartbeat will speed up violently, etc., and maybe it will be painful at that moment.
At the same time,Psychologically, it is also like a kind of torture for patients and their familiesAfter all, it takes great courage for patients and their families to make this decision, and they will still be somewhat afraid and reluctant in their hearts, and may experience some fear, anxiety, regret and other emotions.
Even for the patient's family, the torment is even more intenseThere will also be a moral judgment in their heartsI feel that I may be giving up or killing my own family with my own hands, and I am afraid that I will regret making this decision.
So,The law stipulates that there are special guidelines for euthanasiaDeep sleep must first be satisfied,**Unconscious,Secondly, euthanasia must be chosen in a way that is unconscious for the shortest possible time (a few seconds to 15 seconds).to avoid any pain caused by accidents.
In addition,Euthanasia must also take into account the emotions of the family, such as the third way, the expression after death is the same as before death, very peaceful, sleepy, cyanide method, although faster, but the face will be blue, which is easy for some family members to accept.
In fact, the word euthanasia is not a new wordIt has a long history in theory and practiceAs early as the ancient Greek period, there were city-states that practiced this practice.
In order to maintain their health and vitality, the Spartans would "euthanize" children who were born with a pathologyand in a simple and crude way, the children were abandoned into the wild and left to fend for themselves.
Famous thinker of ancient GreeceAristotleHe has expressed support for this approach in his writingsPlatoIn the book "Imaginary Country",Expressing support for suicide as a way to relieve the suffering of the unattainable
And many philosophers, scholars, and politicians such as Pythagoras believedVoluntary euthanasia is morally justified for the elderly and the infirmAnd there are some reports of euthanasia in other societies.
When the level of production in human society is low, and the living resources are not enough to feed all the members of societyThis practice of euthanasia can both reduce the inability of members to produce their own necessary living resources and reduce the burden on society, to a certain extent, may be appropriate for the situation.
StillAs human society enters a stage with a relatively high level of productivity, this kind of euthanasia is no longer common, especially the rise of religion, all regard suicide and euthanasia as usurping the power of the Creator to control life and deathSuicide and euthanasia became taboo words.
And euthanasia was again proposed, and was hyped and widely promoted, in the 1930sNazi GermanyThe Nazis used this as an excuse to carry out a policy of genocide against the Jews.
Although Nazi Germany promoted euthanasia with ulterior motivesHowever, it has aroused heated discussions and thoughts on euthanasia in various countriesGradually, some countries began to consider legalizing it.
For example,The first Committee for the Legalization of Voluntary Euthanasia was established in Britain in 1935Three years later, a similar commission was formed in the United States.
And from 1976 onwards,Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Japan, even in the Catholic faithful there are manyItaly, France and SpainVoluntary euthanasia associations have also emerged.
However, these are only civil society organizations that advocate the legalization of euthanasia, and do not raise it to the national level, and the country that really legalized euthanasia was the first country to do soNetherlands
In 1987, the Netherlands passed a number of legally restrictive provisions that allowed doctors to euthanize terminally ill patientsThe right to "euthanasia" has been set at a minimum age of 12 yearsAt the same time, if a minor child over the age of 12 with severe illness needs to take "euthanasia" measures, he must obtain the consent of parents, doctors and other parties.
With the Netherlands as a model, some countries in the West have also begun to move, but very few really dare to put it into actionBelgiumBut that step was taken.
As a neighbor of the Netherlands, Belgium began to pay attention to the legalization of euthanasia in the Netherlands after hearing about it, and after seeing the smooth implementation of the Netherlands, they also decided to follow suit.
In 2002,Belgium followed in the footsteps of its neighbor Netherlands in decriminalizing "euthanasia"., but unlike the Netherlands, they started with legal termsApplicable to adults over 18 years of age onlyMinors under the age of 18 do not have the right to euthanasia.
Later, they found that the number of seriously ill underage children in China was increasing day by day, which made ** have to consider whether to open the right to euthanasia for minors.
After years of heated discussions and considerations, it finally arrived on February 13, 2014The Belgian Chamber of Deputies passed a bill to "give seriously ill children the right to euthanasia"., which means:Belgium became the first country in the world to set no limit on the legal age of "euthanasia".
Two years later, Canada** is also following the paceA bill was passed to allow medically assisted death, i.e., euthanasiaThe Act allows responsible adults to choose to leave peacefully instead of waiting for death, pain and fear when they cannot endure the pain of a serious illness or incurable disease.
And with the passage of the euthanasia bill in Spain on March 8, 2021The number of countries in the world with euthanasia regulations has reached five, ieNetherlands, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg and Spain
Although euthanasia has not yet been legalized in most countries, there is a growing sympathetic attitude towards the practice of giving critically ill patients the right and freedom to die to escape the cruel torture of illnessThis is considered to be in the spirit of humanitarianism.
Although many countries in the West consider euthanasia as a crimeBut the number of people who support euthanasia is growingThis has led more and more countries to think about whether they should meet people's needs.
The issue of euthanasia has not been much discussed in ChinaBut since 1994, the NPC Proposal Group has received a proposal every year asking for legislation for euthanasia, but it has not been decided because it is too involved.
Because once euthanasia is legislated,It's like a double-edged sword in front of the patientIf used well, you can really relieve the pain of the patient.
If it is not used well, it may also become an excuse to deprive patients of their right to choose their lives, and be abused by lawbreakers, all the more so, taking into account the specifics of China,The conditions for legislating for euthanasia do not yet exist.
StillThe advanced medical technologies that have exacerbated the problem of euthanasia have been introduced and promoted in large numbers in ChinaAcademic seminars related to "euthanasia" are also held from time to time.
At present, in China, although there are cases of quiet euthanasia in Shanghai and other places, euthanasia has not obtained legal status, and according to the current criminal lawEuthanasia also falls under the category of intentional homicide, there have been many cases involving euthanasia.
For example,In 1986, China's first euthanasia case occurred in Hanzhong, Shaanxi, the mother of the party, Wang Mingcheng, Xia Suwen, is seriously ill and has developed to a critical level.
Wang Mingcheng didn't want to see his mother endure the pain of her deathbed, so he asked the doctor to euthanize her motherSeeing this, the attending doctor Pu Liansheng felt compassion and agreed to euthanize Wang Mingcheng's mother.
As a result, the matter was exposedWang Mingcheng and doctor Pu Liansheng were criminally detained by the Shaanxi Hanzi City Procuratorate on suspicion of "intentional homicide".Although after 6 years of difficult litigation, both were acquitted.
But that doesn't mean the two aren't at faultIt is only because the hibernation spirit prescribed by Pu Liansheng to the patient is not the main cause of his death, and the harm is not great, so it does not constitute a crime.
Even more unfortunate,In June 2003, Wang Mingcheng was diagnosed with advanced stomach cancer, will also face the matter of critical death, unbearable illness and torture he submitted a request to the hospital for euthanasia, but with the experience of the past, this time the hospital did not agree to his request, and finally in August of the same year, Wang Mingcheng died of illness.
Wang Mingcheng was twice associated with "euthanasia" and became the most concerned news figure in the country at that time, which has also caused widespread discussion on euthanasia in society.
To this day, "euthanasia" still has a huge controversy, proponents argueEuthanasia is a relief for patients who are seriously ill, no longer suffering from illness, and at the same time, it can also reduce the burden of family members to pay for the subsequent high medical expenses.
On the other handThis also gives the patient the right to choose the way they dieTo a certain extent, it is a sign of respect for the patient.
Opponents argue thatThis is contrary to ethical normsThe patient's family may be morally condemned and charged with unfilial pietyIt also goes against the humanitarianism that we have always insisted onIt is the deprivation of the right to life.
For doctors,This approach also risks putting them in conflict, whether we should do our best to treat the patient, or whether we should respect the patient's choice to end their life, and this may also hinder the progress of medicine.
In short,Euthanasia is like a double-edged sword, with pros and consThere is no one standard answer, and everyone has their own different opinions and opinions on this matterHowever, everyone has the right to choose for themselves, and this cannot be denied.