The death of meteorologist Ignacio Abad in Alicante General Hospital on Tuesday, October 14th, after he asked for euthanasia in August, has brought the issue of the right to die with dignity back into the news. The Euthanasia Law sets the rules for when people can ask for and get help dying, making euthanasia lawful and setting up the processes, protections, and legal framework that are needed. Adults can also ask for medical help to die if they are in severe, chronic, unmanageable pain or have a serious, incurable illness. This was true for Ignacio.
The law that governs euthanasia went into effect on June 25th, 2021. Since then, healthcare centres in the Valencian Community have received 179 requests for euthanasia. Of those, 113 have been approved, and 93 services have been provided so far, according to data released by the Ministry of Health on Wednesday. There have been 44 for males and 49 for women.
Since the law went into effect, the Health Department has gotten 179 requests for euthanasia in the Community. Of those, 93 have been carried out.
Even numbers
In Alicante, 39 have been done, in Valencia, 41, and in Castellón, 13. The first two are quite similar, however the rate is higher per person in the province because Valencia has 2.7 million people and Alicante has 1.9 million.
The Ministry of Health said that the other requested euthanasia have not been done yet because the person died during the process, because they were cancelled, or because they are still being processed. There are currently five pending: two in Valencia, one in Castellón, and two in Alicante.
María José Alemany, president of the Right to a Dignified Death, says that there isn’t enough political will to get the word out to both the public and healthcare professionals in the Valencian Community. She says that healthcare professionals “often hinder the exercise of patients’ rights by claiming ignorance or illegality.” The group wants to work with the Regional Ministry of Health to make access and transparency better. They point to observatories that work in other autonomous areas as examples.
“Ignacio Abad’s written testimony and the fact that he made his decision public are very important for people to understand this right.”
“The written testimony based on Nacho’s book (the meteorologist who underwent euthanasia on Tuesday in Alicante) and his decision to make it public is very important for society to know and be aware of a right that exists and that responds to individual freedom and the law of patient autonomy to be able to choose about their health, especially at the end of life. The fact that people ask for euthanasia shows that they want to be in charge of their life and make this choice just like they do with other choices throughout their lives and, of course, at the end.
Forty years
He says that the Right to a Dignified Death Association has been around for more than 40 years and has been one of the main groups that helped get laws passed that allow for a dignified death. “Political will” is needed for laws to be made and enforced, but they challenge that because the legislation says that public awareness must be raised, and the current level of knowledge is not enough.
Data from health centres
The organisation thinks that the Ministry of Health should promise to give out enough information, like through health centres. It thinks it’s necessary for professionals to have training and information. The Valencian School of Health Studies (EVES) is teaching a class on this topic. María José Alemany says, “It’s not required, but if there’s a law, not knowing it doesn’t mean you don’t have to follow it and do it.”
The main problem the association sees is that people who come to report that healthcare professionals tell them from the start that euthanasia isn’t legal, that it can’t be done, or that they don’t know how it works. “This stops them from exercising this right because, if the request isn’t properly channelled, patients go home desperate. They’re already in a lot of pain and suffering. They think that when they die, they won’t be in pain anymore, which is why they want to die. “Meeting a barrier like this is deadly.”
People who don’t disclose their objections
Alemany thinks that in these circumstances, they are not declared objectors. “The law says that people must be registered so that the administration can process an application. This is because if a professional is against it, they can send it to someone else.” Many people are not conscientious objectors; instead, they are objectors of convenience. They don’t want to know about this law, what to do, or where to find the information. The Ministry of Health needs to be proactive to make this happen.”
Because of this, Dying with Dignity in the Valencian Community wants there to be euthanasia or dignified death reference people in each health area, just like in other areas where the process is faster. This way, when a professional gets a request, they can call their department’s reference person right away and start the management and deliberation process.
Patient groups are asking that healthcare staff who don’t agree with them be registered and that each health department have a spokesperson for dignified death.
Being in conversation
The group also wants to cooperate with the Ministry of Health to make care for citizens better. “We don’t have a relationship that helps us. The Guarantee and Evaluation Commission has to send a report to the Ministry of Health at the conclusion of the year. The study talks about the same things in all areas, although some get it sooner than others. In other areas, it is made public and put on the website of the regional government. None of the annual reports that they have made have been made public.
“Working with the Ministry of Health would help set up a death observatory to make things easier for people and their families.”
Maria José Alemany – Right to Die with Dignity
Alemany says that these kinds of problems make the process less fluid and make it harder to get clear and open information. “Working with the regional ministry would help set up an observatory for dignified death to learn more about how people die in the area and make things easier for citizens and their families.”
There is already observatories in the Basque Country, Navarre, and Asturias. “We have to take care of people from birth to death and do everything we can to make sure the law is followed without getting in the way of people who want to die,” he says in conclusion.
Author: Derek Appleton
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