The Right to Die
SIR,—Your correspondent Mr. Cyril Bavin, in his otherwise persuasively argued letter repeats an objectionable assumption which has been made a good deal too often and which annoys me more and more every time I read it. It is that, if euthanasia is ever legalised, the proper person to carry it out will be the " duly qualified medical practitioner." But what is a medical practitioner " qualified " to do ? I am one myself, and I always thought my qualifications were for saving life. If the suggestion is that our specialised knowledge of drugs qualifies us to poison people, I suppose similar specialised knowledge would qualify us for the post of hangman. We know more about broken necks than most people.
I am saying nothing against euthanasia, but I am saying that a doctor is the very last person who should be asked to carry it out. It would spoil the relationship of confidence and trust between the doctors and the sick. At present I like to think we are looked on as the faithful allies of our patients in the struggle against death. If there should be the slightest ground for suspicion that we might conceivably change sides in the fight, then good-bye to that confidence and trust. There would be no difficulty in finding people to do the work, but I hope we shall hear no more about doctors doing it. I have always found the suggestion offensive, and I cannot think I am the only one to feel like
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