Spaniards not asking for euthanasia; it’s only the government’s agenda, say scientists

Madrid, Spain, Sep 19, 2007 / 08:54 am

The spokesperson for the scientific organization Hay Alternativas (There Are Alternatives), Gador Joya, criticized Spain’s Minister of Justice, Mariano Fernandez Bermejo, for slipping the issue of euthanasia into the government’s agenda and said there was no public outcry for the practice to be considered a right.

Bermejo said he considered “Spanish society ready for the debate on euthanasia,” arguing that with “the increase in the quality of life, longevity has also increased, and it is in this context that many begin to reflect on the individual right to set a final limit, the final limit of one’s existence.”

According to Gador Joya, “Neither Spanish societies, nor those affected by terminal illnesses or handicaps, have asked for a debate on euthanasia.  The cases in which it has been requested have been manipulated and used by the media and organizations interested in legalizing euthanasia in Spain.”

Joya said Spanish society is demanding that all those who suffer from some kind of handicap or who are in the last stages of their illness be assisted in living a life of greater dignity and that their family members get the help they need to assist their loved ones.
“We ask the government to invest in palliative care and pain treatment centers, which are scarce in our country, so that all those obstacles that might make the lives of the infirm and their families more difficult will be eliminated,” Joya stated.

Joya also criticized the appointment of Bernat Soria as Minister of Health, saying it reflects a policy of attacking human life in any stage.  “Bernat Soria has already expressed his support for euthanasia,” Joya said, “something that our organization has denounced.”

Hay Alternativas is an organization of more than 3,200 scientists.