The National Academy Leopoldina has spoken out in favor of a ban on commercial suicide assistance and a ban on advertising for suicide assistance.
In a position paper on assisted suicide published on Thursday, she referred to the constitutionally secured right of the individual to end his or her life.
"It is not necessary to discuss whether, but how this right can be exercised in the future," it says.
Assisted suicide is assisted suicide in which, for example, doctors provide a lethal drug.
Heike Schmoll
Political correspondent in Berlin, responsible for “Bildungswelten”.
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A distinction must be made between active euthanasia.
It describes a killing on demand that is carried out by someone else, not by the person willing to die.
Active euthanasia is prohibited by law in Germany.
With passive euthanasia, also called letting die, a life-prolonging measure is omitted or not initiated at all.
The search for a balanced system
Several European countries have passed regulations on assisted suicide in recent years. In Germany too, since a ruling by the Federal Constitutional Court, the legislature has been faced with the task of finding a new regulation here. In February 2020, the court ruled that the general right of personality enshrined in the Basic Law also includes the right to self-determined death, which also includes the freedom to seek help from third parties.
The upcoming new regulation touches theological, philosophical, ethical, medical and political questions and requires an open debate across society, it is said. The Leopoldina members from medicine, ethics, medical history and law point to an area of tension that cannot be resolved in principle. It is important to respect the self-determination of every person and the associated freedom of choice.
On the other hand, there is the knowledge that the desire to end one's own life depends on a multitude of different factors that can still be changed.
In order to be able to deal with this tension appropriately, a balanced system is required.
So it has to be certain that it is actually an autonomous decision of the individual.
The "assessment of personal responsibility and the implementation of suicide assistance must be separated in terms of personnel and organization," and at least two doctors must also be involved and all steps must be documented.
Patient advocates insist on self-determination for those willing to commit suicide
In order to make it easier for those affected to turn to life, low-threshold counseling and help offers for people in mental crises, comprehensive high-quality palliative medical and hospice care as well as an information, counseling and support network based on interdisciplinary expertise are necessary. Because it is the task of a caring community not to leave people alone at the end of their life, with illness and suffering. The education of the population about existing offers of help and support, especially in psychological crises, should be improved.
The desire to commit suicide does not always remain permanent; it can also be given up if the life circumstances of the person concerned change. The German Foundation for Patient Protection reacted with severe criticism. It relates to the Leopoldina's request to adapt the model professional regulations for doctors. However, that already happened at the beginning of May. In addition, the authors did not remain specific enough when it came to the protection concepts. Psychological, nursing and medical help is by no means available for everyone who is willing to commit suicide. “Against this background, the assessment of a freely responsible decision remains pure theory.” It is therefore important to set legal standards to ensure that the self-determination of the suicidal person is preserved.