Germany: Christians and palliative care workers want law to thwart the urge to die
Parliamentarians are looking for a framework for assisted suicide, which is exempt from any rule in Germany. Evangelical Christians and a national association of caregivers would prefer laws aimed at thwarting the urge to die.
The German Parliament wants to legally regulate assisted suicide, which is no longer prohibited since 2020, but is not regulated. However, MPs are struggling to agree. From 28 November, the Legal Affairs Committee of the Bundestag will hear experts on this subject.
A third of Germans are afraid of "being a burden on someone" at the end of life. Practically in the same proportions, they are especially afraid of being rendered "powerless at the mercy of medical equipment", or of suffering. Half of them would like to die "at home", according to a survey by the German Palliative Care Association in Berlin, published on 22nd November.
A common call to prevent the urge to dieAs part of this reflection, the members of this association are calling for a law for the prevention of the desire to die among the population, before any legal regulation on assisted suicide. A position strongly supported by theEvangelical Alliance of Germany (AEA) but also already, many MEPs who launched an appeal in this direction from last summer. The representative of the AEA also went to the headquarters of the Bundestag in Berlin on 25th July to signify the majority opinion among evangelical Christians on this subject.
Uwe Heimowski, also a theologian and member of the Christian Democratic Union, said: "More than 9,000 people commit suicide every year in Germany. As Christians, we have a responsibility to support people in situations of illness and crisis." Only a minority of Germans (38%) believe in an afterlife, in a country where Christians are now a minority.
The German Parliament wants to legally regulate assisted suicide, which is no longer prohibited since 2020, but is not regulated. However, MPs are struggling to agree. From 28 November, the Legal Affairs Committee of the Bundestag will hear experts on this subject.
A third of Germans are afraid of "being a burden on someone" at the end of life. Practically in the same proportions, they are especially afraid of being rendered "powerless at the mercy of medical equipment", or of suffering. Half of them would like to die "at home", according to a survey by the German Palliative Care Association in Berlin, published on 22nd November.
A common call to prevent the urge to dieAs part of this reflection, the members of this association are calling for a law for the prevention of the desire to die among the population, before any legal regulation on assisted suicide. A position strongly supported by theEvangelical Alliance of Germany (AEA) but also already, many MEPs who launched an appeal in this direction from last summer. The representative of the AEA also went to the headquarters of the Bundestag in Berlin on 25th July to signify the majority opinion among evangelical Christians on this subject.
Uwe Heimowski, also a theologian and member of the Christian Democratic Union, said: "More than 9,000 people commit suicide every year in Germany. As Christians, we have a responsibility to support people in situations of illness and crisis." Only a minority of Germans (38%) believe in an afterlife, in a country where Christians are now a minority.
Evangéliques.info
Germany: Christians and palliative care workers want law to thwart the urge to die - Evangeliques.info
Germany: Christians and palliative care workers want law to thwart the urge to die - Evangeliques.info
