Assisted suicide, euthanasia, AIDS & the law

Assisted suicide and euthanasia are currently the subject of vigorous community debate. Polls reveal a high level of public support for law reform, and a number of doctors have recently publicly admitted to hastening death. Issues of assisted suicide, and euthanasia are particularly relevant within the HIV community, particularly among gay men with AIDS, many of whom  are politically aware, articulate, and wish to retain control over their disease process.

Nevertheless, the 'bedside' issues which arise when patients with AIDS wish to die are extremely difficult and painful.  Health care professionals working in HIV must face these issues, and resolve any ethical dilemmas they perceive, bearing in mind the operation of the law in their jurisdiction.

In this short paper I will present an anecdote drawn from my research-in-progress on euthanasia within the HIV community, which will touch on some of the dilemmas health care professionals face, as well as the considerable amount of emotion the issue of euthanasia is capable of generating. Thereafter I will briefly mention several legal principles which control how the law looks at euthanasia.