End-of-life: Forum: Important conversations on care for those most vulnerable

Forum: Important conversations on care for those most vulnerable

https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/forum/forum-important-conversations-on-care-for-those-most-vulnerable

2023-08-03

I agree with the writer that we should not shy away from conversations about death and dying, including euthanasia (Conversation on euthanasia should enter end-of-life discussions, July 29).

Indeed, as part of a team of palliative care professionals, these are the conversations I have daily with patients and families.

In my years of practice in assisting patients in the dying phase of their lives, it is not uncommon that the topic of desire for hastened death comes up; it is often related to the worry of being a burden, and the grief over the loss of a role and identity.

However, to turn to euthanasia as a solution to such suffering instead of intensive care and compassion, we would have to believe the following:

That it is a societal good to have a legal framework to kill another member of the human family outside the context of self-defence;

That some lives are not worth living, and if we were to regulate it, other people – and often not the patients themselves – would decide which lives those are. In the countries mentioned in the commentary, even with legal safeguards, the criteria have widened to include minors and those with less severe or non-terminal conditions, for example, physical disabilities and mental health issues;

That killing may be preferable to caring.

I wish to bring to mind the privilege and trust that we in the healthcare profession have been given to care for those in the most vulnerable moments of their lives. May we never be made to betray that trust.

Joseph Ong (Dr)