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)