Former euthanasia advocate: Assisted suicide has become ‘a default way to die’

The legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia has been increasingly common around the world, but even those who advocate for it are admitting that it ushers in problems.

The United Kingdom (UK) is considering legalizing assisted suicide, and Politico interviewed various experts on the issue to examine the overall trend of legalized assisted suicide and euthanasia throughout Europe. Martin Buijsen, professor of health law at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, told the outlet that while it might take time, legalization in every country across the continent was “inevitable.” Another expert, Theo Boer, professor of health care ethics at Protestant Theological University, noted there are implications not often acknowledged in legalizing assisted suicide.

“I have seen no jurisdiction in which the practice has not expanded, not one single jurisdiction,” he said. “By imposing really strict criteria we can slow down the expansion … but they will not prevent the expansion.”

Boer initially supported legalizing assisted suicide in the Netherlands and was a member of the Dutch euthanasia review committee. He has since changed his mind and now speaks out against its legalization in other countries.

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“What I saw was not only the increase in the numbers — which for me was a sign that it was no longer the last exception, the last resort — but it became more and more a default way to die,” he explained. “In addition to the numbers, we saw an expansion of the pathologies underlying euthanasia requests.”

Boer is far from alone; one group, the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA), campaigned to legalize euthanasia in Canada, only to later express regret after admitting how quickly physician-assisted death has been abused. People have frequently been approved for the Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD) program simply because they have disabilities, are living in poverty, or cannot access health care — not because they were dying.

“It is the social and material aspect of [patients] disability and how that isn’t supported and how that’s treated in the community that’s creating intolerable conditions,” one of the BCCLA employees said on a leaked phone call. “In my view, that’s not proper,” they said, adding that health care providers shouldn’t be raising the issue of MAiD with their patients. “It’s far too easy for that to become coercive,” they explained.

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