The international day of dignified death was celebrated on 2 November. In this regard, by means of this letter I would like to state how I see the situation in the Basque Country in this matter.
We are aware that the subject of death is not to your liking to many friends, however inevitable it may occur, and, as with life, there are good and bad ways. That's why, instead of talking about death, we should talk about dignified death. What is a dignified death? It's the ability to decide how, where and next to who we want to die.
Both most religions and some right-wing and fascist parties refuse to own our death. I argue that, without owning ourselves, we are not free and lose dignity, so I consider it essential that our life and death be in our hands to enjoy dignity and freedom. While the Right wants to make life an obligation, the Democrats, who respect others, insist that it is a right.
Although the first euthanasia was carried out in the Basque Country, the information that has subsequently been provided at the social level and the training offered to professionals have been very scarce
We citizens have rights, but they remain empty if we know nothing about them. Among these rights are some related to our health and death. In the case of death, in Euskadi we have Law 11/2016, which guarantees our rights and our dignity in the process of death, the Euthanasia Law and Law 7/2002, which regulates advance directives.
I say, knowledge of the rights contained in these laws is essential to be able to carry out the process of death. Who should communicate all this to the citizens so that they can freely choose? The Euthanasia Act itself states that the information, training and dissemination of content is the responsibility of the Basque Government.
Unfortunately, over time, the government’s attitude on these issues has been merely apparent, as, despite the first euthanasia being carried out in the Basque Country, the information that has subsequently been provided at the social level and the training offered to the professionals have been very scarce, and the same can be said of the Advance Wills Document (ABA), as well as the exercise of the necessary resources for the exercise of these rights.
Conclusions are reflected in the data: Euthanasia in the Basque Country accounted for 0.11% of deaths and approximately 4% in Belgium and the Netherlands. In terms of BA, they do not reach 2%. These data demonstrate the low responsibility of the government and represent suffering for many citizens, considering that ABA is the only way to fulfill our desire to die if we do not own.
For all these reasons, I call on the Basque Government and all parties present in Congress to take the necessary measures to overcome these shortcomings, because the law itself with many limitations also requires it, and I encourage citizens to fight for their rights.
Julen Goñi, former philosophy professor