Human dimensions of euthanasia | |
Angels of death: Exploring the euthanasia underground. Roger S Magnusson. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2002 (xvii + 325 pp). ISBN 0 522 84970 9. |
This book
adds to the volume of reports about euthanasia and assisted suicide entering the public domain. Magnusson is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the University of Sydney and presents accounts of 49 face-to-face interviews with doctors, nurses, and others who have participated in the assisted deaths of patients with AIDS both in Australia and California. He states that it is important “to penetrate the wall of silence to discover the reality of assisted suicide and euthanasia in our society, and to face up to the social costs of the current policy of prohibition.” The book describes the culture of deception and the effect that participating in euthanasia has on those involved, as well as some disturbing accounts of "botched" attempts which ended in the administration of various drug mixtures and suffocation. Magnusson mixes investigative reporting with balanced scholarship. He reviews the major arguments for and against law reform, and concludes that the existing laws prohibiting euthanasia do not work. "In reality, prohibition neither effectively inhibits the practice of euthanasia, nor adequately protects the vulnerable patients who most desire it." He supports a cautious reform for medicalised euthanasia that provides adequate safeguards for patients. Angels of death provides an important practical dimension in the debate about euthanasia. Just as the exposure of “coat-hanger” or “backyard” abortions influenced the debate about medical termination of pregnancy, these revelations can be expected to influence discourse about voluntary euthanasia in our society. Roger W Hunt
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