Living wills make headway

The campaign to gauge public readiness for living wills is going well, considering how easily feelings can overwhelm calm reflection on a matter of conscience.

Since first mentioned in November last year by Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in a parliamentary debate on health care costs, public feedback has been largely supportive.

That is the opinion, as articulated by professional interests such as lawyers and health professionals, aside from religious groups.

What has been missing is the people's voice. Citizens with even a passing interest in how policies affect their lives should now make themselves heard so that legislators can reach a balanced judgment when the matter comes before Parliament.

Sending the Bill to select committees would be sensible too, as is the need for a public education campaign not like that which preceded the Goods and Services Tax.

Of the 26 organizations asked to give their views, the 24 which have done so support the principle in the large part. All accept that a person should be free to decide whether to refuse treatment when death from a terminal illness is inevitable and aggressive medical intervention would only prolong pain and suffering to both patient and family. And think of the cost, although it shall never be the deciding factor.

But not all accept that a law need be written. Here, the health professionals (all oppose legislation except the Academy of Medicine and the Singapore Medical Council) diverge from the lawyers who say, rightly, that there should be no ambiguity.

Among religious groups, the Catholics and Protestants are squeamish about enshrinement. But the Moslems, Hindus, Buddhists and Taoists are not. As the latter groups form 73 percent of the population, they deliver a nationally huge vote of acceptance. The important distinction here is that disagreement over the need for legislation should not override the fact that there is near unanimity on the right to decide when nature should take its course in terminal cases. This is the object of the exercise.

-The Straits Times, Singapore