What is euthanasia?

       Euthanasia(εὐθανασία) is originally from the Greek language and means “good death” the definition of this word is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Euthanasia is usually requested by a patient who suffers from chronic pain associated with an incurable illness and it’s one of the most frequently debated topics. 

       There are many arguments on this topic some people thought that people should have a right to self-determination, so they should also be allowed to choose their own fate by assisting a subject to die which might be a better choice than life in the last decades of life that are filled with infirmity, pain, and suffering. And some people have arguments against Euthanasia, they think that there are alternative treatments available, such as palliative care, and cessation of active treatment, combined with the use of effective pain relief. Some people think that there is no “ right ” to be killed and Euthanasia method will lead to unacceptable consequences in the future

A type of euthanasia

       Every country has different Euthanasia laws and there are many types of Euthanasia which may be classified into three type
1. Voluntary euthanasia
this type is conducted with the consent of the patient, the term assisted suicide is often used in this type, Voluntary euthanasia is legal in many countries or states like Switzerland and Belgium
2. non-voluntary euthanasia
This type is conducted when the consent of the patient is unavailable, this type is illegal worldwide
3. Involuntary euthanasia
This type is conducted against the will of the patient. It’s illegal in every country and is usually defined as premeditated murder       By the way, voluntary and non-voluntary euthanasia could also be divided into passive or active euthanasia, active euthanasia is killing a person by active means and passive euthanasia is mean letting a patient die by withholding artificial life support or withholding treatment necessary for the continuance of life, passive form of euthanasia is legal in Thailand

The legal status of euthanasia in Thailand

       Passive forms of euthanasia have been mentioned in Thailand's laws in the National Health Act, B.E 2550 section 12

Section 12, National Health Act, B.E 2550
“ A person shall have the right to make a living will in writing to refuse the public health service which is provided merely to prolong his/her terminal stage of life or make a living will to refuse the service as cease the severe suffering from illness

The living will under paragraph one shall be carried out in accordance with the rules and procedure prescribed in the Ministerial Regulation.

An act done by public health personnel in compliance with the living will under paragraph one shall not be liable to any responsibility whatsoever. ”

       According to Section 12, Thailand has allowed patients to make a decision to let doctors perform passive euthanasia when they reach the final stage of life by refusing medical treatment.
       On the other hand, active euthanasia methods like injecting a patient with a lethal dose of a drug or any euthanasia methods that might be used to hasten death that is not included in Section 12 are illegal and might be defined as premeditated murder.

       In conclusion, euthanasia has been allowed in Thailand but only in passive form, for example, withholding artificial life support or withholding treatment necessary for the continuance of life, and applicable only to seriously ill people with no hope for recovery; active euthanasia is illegal and not allowed, not like in Switzerland and Belgium.

citations

National Health Act, B.E 2550 section 12

การุณยฆาต ทำได้เพียงใด ในกฎหมายไทย | ThaiLivingWills

Dying and dignity (bangkokpost.com)

Euthanasia - Wikipedia

Arguments for and against assisted suicide and euthanasia | CARE

What passive euthanasia is | BMC Medical Ethics | Full Text (biomedcentral.com)

Euthanasia - MU School of Medicine (missouri.edu)

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Contributor

Naruechit Sallao