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.
Martxoaren 8a hurbiltzen ari zaigu, eta urtero bezala, instituzioek haien diskurtsoak berdintasun politika eta feminismoz josten dituzte, eta enpresek borroka egun hau “emazteen egunera” murrizten dute, emakumeei bideratutako merkatu estereotipatu oso bati bidea... [+]
Sare Herritarrak antolatuta, pasa den urtarrilaren 11n Bilboko kaleak bete zituen manifestazio jendetsuaren ondoren, berriz sortu da eztabaida, euskal presoei salbuespen legeriarik aplikatzen ote zaion. Gure iritzia azaltzen saiatuko gara.
Espetxe politikan aldaketa nabarmena... [+]
Duela gutxi think tank izateko jaioa omen den Zedarriak bere 6. txostena aurkeztu zuen. Beren web orrialdean azaltzen dutenaren arabera, zedarriak ebidentea ez den bidea topatzeko erreferentziak dira. Hots, hiru probintzietako jendarteari bidea markatzeko ekimena. Agerraldi... [+]
The time has come for us to enrol in schools in the Basque Country for the 2025-26 academic year, and in many homes the youngest of the household will take a new step soon, in September, which is schooling. Proud of the Basque Public School The members of Topagune are firmly... [+]
Since the adoption of the new Education Law for Álava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa, we are hearing/reading again and again that education will be free from now on. We have listened to different actors, including the Department of Education, and in the interviews we offer to the media,... [+]
At the beginning of the month he did III. Congress in Pamplona. It is said to be the “ordinary congress” that serves to draw “non-ordinary conclusions”, or at least that is how they have received Zutunik in the paper, proposed by the leadership and unanimously approved... [+]
On February 3rd, the time has begun to pre-enroll our children and young people in schools, and as every year we would like to remind you why we do not think it is a good idea to enroll them in religion. Last year we finished the article saying that “many of you will be... [+]
From the Association of Parents of the Instituto Arratia Small Tram we want to encourage reflection on the use of screens in the learning community.
Lately there is a lot of concern about the impact of screens on children and adolescents. This responsibility extends from... [+]
In 2021 we began to hear the first echoes of the Guggenheim Urdaibai project. The then General Manager Unai Rementeria told us that it would be done yes or yes. To reinforce his claims, he left 40 million euros “shielded” by the time the museums were built. There it is!... [+]
"(The purpose of the Oion Plenary) is clear, to legitimize by law the energy megaprojects with significant irregularities in the processing"
Last Wednesday we had a hard and unpleasant day, not only for Labraza, but also for all the towns where we are threatened by a wind,... [+]
Just as we experienced the flourishing of the Basque Country with the help of the artists, so that this time, taking advantage of their impulses, we continue to make our way together giving the necessary support to the Basque political prisoners, exiles and deportees
The... [+]
Epistemology, or theory of knowledge, is one of the main areas of philosophy, and throughout history there have been important debates about the limits and bases of our knowledge. Within this we find two powerful corridors that propose different ways of accessing knowledge: The... [+]
We learned this week that the Court of Getxo has closed the case of 4-year-old children from the Europa School. This leads us to ask: are the judicial, police, etc. authorities prepared to respond to the children’s requests? Are our children really protected when they are... [+]
I don't want my daughter disguising herself as a Gypsy in the caldereros. I don’t want Gypsy children at my daughter’s school to dress up as Gypsies in caldereros. Because being a gypsy is not a disguise. Because being a gypsy is not a party that takes place once a year, with... [+]