Euthanasia decision of the German parliament

The bill, prepared by two different parliamentary groups and discussed in the Bundestag, did not obtain a quorum.

The bills included the right for people over the age of 18 in Germany to end their lives by seeking medical attention if they were seriously incurable or in excruciating pain.

All parties in parliament had released their deputies, who had not made a group decision, on this issue.

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach regretted that neither bill had a majority, adding: “The current situation naturally leads to some legal uncertainty.” saying.

“GERMANY IS ELIGIBLE FROM A MORAL DILEMMA”

The German Foundation for Patient Protection welcomed the Bundestag’s rejection of both bills. “This saves Germany from a moral dilemma,” said the director of the Foundation, Eugen Brysch.

The proposal, which was presented after the rejection of the bills and which included a series of measures to prevent suicides, was accepted.

Under the proposal, studies will be launched to provide a service that allows people with suicidal ideation and their family members to contact educated people online at any time of the day with a single phone number.

In a decision made in 2020, the Constitutional Court affirmed that euthanasia is a human right and is compatible with the constitution, and asked the Bundestag to clarify the issue of the ability to make a decision about one’s own death and establish a legal framework for euthanasia.

With the practice called “passive euthanasia” in Germany, it is possible to terminate the treatment of people who have lost hope of survival or who have an incurable disease on a voluntary basis. (AA)