Systemic Euthanasia

[ArMaP]

Euthanasia  sound nicer than suicide i guess.....white wash ?

Under Portuguese law (yet to be implemented, as it waits further regulation) euthanasia and medically assisted suicide are two different things.

Euthanasia is when a doctor administers some drugs to provoke the death of the patient (according to the conditions mentioned in the law and the yet to be published regulations), medically assisted suicide is when the patients administers the drugs themselves, under the supervision of a doctor.

Both are considered medically assisted death.

The process will be started by the patient by asking a doctor chosen by the patient (the orientating doctor) to start the process. The request must be signed by the patient and the doctor, who must have access to the patient records, has a 20 days period to give an answer to the patient. If the doctor thinks the situation does not fall under the conditions for assisted death it closes the process and informs the patient. Both the patient and the doctor sign the report.

If the doctor thinks the request should be followed then a doctor specialised in the main reason for the asking of the assisted death is contacted by the orientating doctor. The specialist should give an answer in three weeks, and if the specialist's opinion is against the assisted death the process is stopped.

If the specialist agrees with the assisted death the patient is informed of that decision and asked again by the orientating doctor if the assisted death is still wanted. If the patient still wants the assisted death that decision should be signed and added to the process.
If the orientating doctor or the specialist has any doubts about the capacity or will of the patient to make an informed, serious and free decision about assisted death then they have to contact a specialist in psychiatry. If this specialist's opinion is against the assisted death then the process is stopped.

If all the opinions are in favour of the assisted death then the orientating doctor contacts a committee created specifically for the analysis and verification of the assisted death requests. If the committee's opinion is against the assisted death then the process is stopped.

If all the opinions are in favour of the assisted death then the orientating doctor informs the patient of the methods (assisted suicide or euthanasia) and the drugs to be used, and they choose a date and time for the procedure. 

Just before the administration of the drugs, either by the patient or by the orientating doctor (in the presence of at least another doctor chosen by the orientating doctor), the orientating doctor asks the patient if they still want assisted death to go on, and if there isn't a clear answer or if the patient appears to show any doubt about the procedure then everything is cancelled.

The decision about the assisted death is exclusively of the patient, and if the patient isn't able to sign the documents then they can chose a person to do it for them, in which case there will be a signed document, officially recognised by a notary in front of the orientating doctor. That person is chosen only for that specific role and cannot be someone that will have some gain in the death of the patient.

I don't know how other European countries' laws are, but I think they are not that different from the Portuguese law, so it's not easy (or possible) for someone else to chose the assisted death of someone else.