Euskadi and the dignified death
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
Bidali zure iritzi artikuluak iritzia@argia.eus helbide elektronikora
ARGIAk ez du zertan bat etorri artikuluen edukiarekin. Idatzien gehienezko luzera 4.500 karakterekoa da (espazioak barne). Idazkera aldetik gutxieneko zuzentasun bat beharrezkoa da: batetik, ARGIAk ezin du hartu zuzenketa sakona egiteko lanik; bestetik, egitekotan edukia nahi gabe aldatzeko arriskua dago. ARGIAk azaleko zuzenketak edo moldaketak egingo dizkie artikuluei, behar izanez gero.
On 5 December last, pp presented in the Parliament of Navarra a proposal for a law to decouple the processes of functionalization of the Secretariat and Intervention positions of the local entities of Navarra. If this were to happen, about 30 people would achieve well-deserved... [+]
This year marks the 51st anniversary of the United Nations proclamation of International Human Rights Day on 10 December. This date has become important in Euskal Herria and the Human Rights Observatory of Euskal Herria wants to offer some elements of reflection.
Progress on... [+]
Once upon a time the people became a repository of culture. Over time, the restrictive measures taken by the world authorities against any form of cultural expression were extinguishing the flame, creativity and imagination of peoples, as a candle gradually. However, a small but... [+]
The presence of Elon Musk in the media advances like a rocket after landing in the garden of the White House. Other powers, apparently, have been altered by the power and influence it is acquiring, and to reduce its influence, have charged the X network. In recent weeks, media... [+]
Our rights, our future, now! Under the motto, the International Day of Human Rights commemorates the legacy of 76 years. The aim of the day is to promote the construction of a more peaceful, egalitarian and sustainable world. However, while progress is being made, we are faced... [+]
The Council of Euskalgintza is warning of the linguistic emergency we have been experiencing in recent weeks. Several years have passed since the beginning of describing the situation of the process of revitalization of the Basque country at the crossing, at the roundabout, at... [+]
On November 25, International Day against Male Violence, the Steilas Feminist Union Feminist Secretariat has published a poster: Our body is a battlefield, and all the schools in Hego Euskal Herria have received it. We wish to denounce the violence suffered by women and children... [+]
We live in a context in which anti-feminist and racist hate speech at the global level is on the rise. Far-right narratives are inserted throughout the world by
social networks and political agendas. Racism and anti-feminism have become two great discursive axes that adapt to... [+]
Many times, after looking at the brumas from my house, it has occurred to me not to catch umbrellas, even though I know I will just soak up. Why will it be? Maybe you don't want to catch the umbrella? Maybe in the hope that I don't get wet? Nevertheless, the conclusion has always... [+]
I remember when I was 16 years old, the Ertzaintza first identified me in a concentration in favor of the Basque Country before the Bergara courts. We believed that in Euskal Herria it was legitimate to cry for the Euskaldunization of the courts, but then there would also be a... [+]
The disaster caused by the cold drop in Valencia has left us dramatic images, both because of the immediate consequences it has had, and because the future awaiting us has brought us forward: that this type of extreme climate phenomena will be increasingly numerous and serious... [+]
The update of the Navarra Energy Plan goes unnoticed. The Government of Navarre made this public and, at the end of the period for the submission of claims, no government official has explained to us what their proposals are to the citizens.
The reading of the documentation... [+]
Since the disappearance of the Soviet Union, rusophobia has been growing. The concept of security of the UN Security Council of 2002 is very clear and indicates that the security and stability of the planet must depend on the states that do not intend to challenge the United... [+]
Andoni Urrestarazu Landazabal was born in the village of Araia on 16 July 1902 and died in Vitoria on 21 November 1993. It is now 31 years old and I think it is time to recognize his name and be, because the legacy he left is not well known. Umandi used the name of a mountain in... [+]
Autobiography writing is, they say, the most effective tool for personal development, the most liberating. Pulling things away from the past and remembering them, it seems that it helps unleash the knots of the present. Yes, it helps to understand the present and to draw a... [+]