Euthanasia ruled out in AIDS cases

Euthanasia ruled out in AIDS cases

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Health Sujudi opposes euthanasia
under any condition, including for people with Acquired Immuno
Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

While opening the national debate on AIDS over the weekend,
Sujudi said he based his statement on medical codes of ethics and
the teachings of all recognized religions in Indonesia.

"The fate of an AIDS sufferer is in the hands of God and any
idea to use euthanasia to accelerate the patient's death needs to
be reviewed," he said.

Earlier, the chairman of the Indonesian Ulemas Council, K.H.
Hasan Basri, said his council had planned to ask the government
to allow euthanasia for people with AIDS or the Human
Immunodeficiency Virus, Antara reported.

Hasan said the plan faltered because the Council leaders could
not reach a consensus on the idea.

"Those who opposed the idea said that according to Islamic law
euthanasia means killing or suicide. Those who supported it
believed mercy killing is legal because leaving the patients in
such a dire condition means letting the person suffer perpetually
because the disease is incurable," he said.

He said the second group took into account the seriousness of
the illness. (tis)