Doctors denounce Spanish film that presents “sentimental apology for euthanasia”

Madrid, Spain, Sep 13, 2004 / 22:00 pm

The President of the Association of Christian Doctors of Catalonia, Josep Maria Simon, said the movie “Mar adentro,” which was honored at the Venice Film Festival, is a “sentimental apology for euthanasia.”  The controversial film by Spanish director Alejandro Amenabar won two Silver Lion awards, while the pro-abortion film “Vera Drake” was given the top award, the Golden Lion.

“Mar Adentro” tells the story of Ramon Sampedro, a quadriplegic who committed suicide with the help of his friends in one of the most infamous dramas of recent Spanish history.

Speaking to Europa Press, Simon criticized the “lack of accuracy” in the Amenabar’s account of some aspects of the life of Sampedro and said the film makes a mockery of a paraplegic priest who befriended Sampedro.

In addition, Simon wondered “why, if euthanasia is outlawed in Spain and was applied to Sampedro, has nobody been condemned for it” and that in his judgment, “this leads one to believe that things can happen and the law will not do anything.”

He also he considered it “suspicious” that the film’s director, Alejandro Amenabar, recently revealed that he is a homosexual.  According to Simon, “this is a propaganda effort by the film and the gay lobby that surrounds it.”

Simon recalled that Sampedro’s case “has always been used in favor of euthanasia.”   “It is an extreme case and therefore you cannot draw conclusions to make universal laws,” he added.

More reactions

The spokeswoman for the Association of the Study of Bioethics in Spain, Isabel Viladomiu, also criticized the film, saying it made Ramon Sampedro into a “euthanasia martyr.”

Speaking with Europa Press as well, she said “Mar Adentro” is an account of a real story that “has been manipulated” by those who want to promote euthanasia.

Viladomiu said “Mar Adentro” is again stirring up the debate on euthanasia, which her association says “is not a solution to suffering.”

She also warned that the legalization of euthanasia would lead to what she called “a slippery slope, just as was the case with abortion, which went from 7 cases in 1985 to more than 70,000 in 2004.”