In Perth, Philip Nitschke is once more in the headlines, probably much to the frustration of the euthanasia decriminalisation lobby. Sadly, this latest case is particularly heart-wrenching as it involves Erin Berg, a young mother of three children, under treatment for depression.
Erin was not terminally ill, which has led to enmity against Dr Nitschke for his involvement in this situation. One cannot blame him for impatience with the glacial pace of euthanasia reform in Australia, but his preferred confrontational and unregulated strategy of providing information that might be used to commit suicide has alienated mainstream public opinion.
Moreover, it has crossed over into assisting chronically ill people and merely depressed people to commit suicide. Erin’s family are mourning her tragic death, and Western Australia’s mental health services are also under fire for their ‘premature’ release of Erin from an acute inpatients unit and staff supervision of her medication and symptom control for her depression.
However, a subsequent inquiry revealed that Erin concealed her suicidal inclinations from the staff at this institution, and they had no inkling that instead of travelling south to visit family members, Erin had actually booked a one-way ticket to Tijuana, Mexico, where she consumed a bottle of bootleg Nembutal medication and ended her own life. Nitschke’s book, Killing Me Softly, was found amidst her personal effects.
Erin’s family are entitled to be angry at Nitschke for his involvement in this tragedy. Depression can be fought through SSRI and other antidepressant medication, and cognitive behavioural therapy. While it is possible to rationally consent to physician assisted suicide and/or voluntary euthanasia if one is terminally ill, depression produces attitudinal and cognitive impairment that affects one’s ability to assess such a course of action, accurately assess one’s quality of life, or foresee the consequences.
Suicide is no answer to depression per se. Indeed, more mainstream euthanasia reformers acknowledge this, and it is why Oregon’s regulated physician assisted suicide procedures involve the input of a psychiatrist during mandatory prior counselling, and then only for those with diagnosed terminal illness.
Recommended:
Paige Taylor: “Mental health review board to respond over suicide” Perth Now/Australian: 22.07.08: http://www.news.com.au
1 response so far ↓
1 Craig // Oct 21, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Several months later, there has been a euthanasia controversy in the United Kingdom. Daniel James (23), a young rugby player, was left paralysed last year after a scrum collapse.
After several suicide attempts, he travelled to Switzerland, where Dignitas, a Swiss voluntary euthanasia clinic operator, enabled him to end his own life. Unfortunately, matters have turned into a political football.
Mark and Julie James, his parents, are being investigated for assisting their son’s suicide, even though they said that they regretted his decision to end his life. While British police have investigated several such cases, none have resulted in criminal proceedings.
The law is an ass. Dealing with a suicidal son, who then ended his own life, must be burden enough for Mark and Julie. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare. I hope this ordeal is over soon, so they can get on with grieving their obviously beloved son.
C.
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