Spain, 426 cases in 2024: 27.5 % more<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIn Spain, according to recently published official statistics, 426 people<\/a> died in 2024 through state-approved assisted suicide or euthanasia in 2021. This represents an increase of 27,54% over the 334 deaths recorded in 2023, and nearly 48% more compared to 2022, the first full year after legalization.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBenigno Blanco, former president of the Family Forum, said social attitudes are gradually changing as euthanasia becomes routine in public health reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEuthanasia has begun to become socially normalized,\u201d Blanco told OSV News. \u201cThe numbers of euthanasia cases are published periodically as just another statistic that no longer provokes a strong reaction. We are getting used to euthanasia as just another social phenomenon, and this is how the trivialization of the legalized always begins. After this trivialization in the collective consciousness, the number of practices gradually increases\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
United Kingdom, on the verge of legalization<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe United Kingdom is also on the verge of legalizing assisted suicide, with debates underway in Parliament and Catholic legislators fighting to stop<\/a> an \u201coutrageous\u201d bill on assisted suicide.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAustralia, steadily increasing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAustralia, on the other hand, offers one of the clearest case studies on how assisted dying laws evolve once introduced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Legalization in the state of Victoria with the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act was passed in 2017 and came into effect in 2019. Since then, it has spread nationally and the number of assisted dying cases has steadily increased, raising questions about how these laws transform cultural expectations and the moral identity of medicine.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In New South Wales, the second annual report of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Board shows that 2,295 people made a first-time application for VAD, while 1,028 died from the use of a VAD (Voluntary Assisted Dying) substance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Xavier Symons: the trend towards standardization <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nLeading Australian bioethicist and author Xavier Symons said. the trend<\/a> reflects a deeper social transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cI think the growing number of ADV cases in Australia reflects both the growing public awareness of euthanasia as an option for the dying and the normalization of the choice of that option,\u201d Xavier Symons, a professor who directs the Plunkett Centre for Ethics at Australian Catholic University and St. Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, told OSV News. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Undoubtedly, other factors have influenced the increase in VAD rates in the states, such as the availability of more professionals to provide VADs and pressure from pro-euthanasia lobbies to make euthanasia accessible in regional and remote areas. But societal attitudes are also likely to have changed in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Concern that the idea that healing is fundamental to medicine is eroding <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nSymons said the impact extends beyond patients' individual choices and is changing the way society views medicine<\/a> itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cI worry that the DVA will erode the idea that healing is fundamental to medicine,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are witnessing a replacement of the Hippocratic view of medicine-which includes the idea that a physician has a duty to seek the good of the patient-with the idea that a physician is a service provider and must help patients who wish to end their lives.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot all physicians practice euthanasia; many are conscientious objectors. But the fact that medicine now practices euthanasia affects society's perception of the medical profession.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.omnesmag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/FranciaEutansiaPaliativosHombre-EUTHANASIA-NUMBERS-SURGE-1813715-1466x1536-1-977x1024.jpg\")
A man in a wheelchair talks with a nurse in the palliative care unit of the Saint-Elisabeth Clinic in Marseille, France, May 31, 2024. On Jan. 15, 2026, French bishops reaffirmed their opposition to a bill establishing the right to \u00abactive assistance in dying,\u00bb which senators had begun reviewing on Jan. 20. The National Assembly approved the measure on May 27, 2025. (Photo by OSV News\/Manon Cruz, Reuters).
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nRisk of expansion beyond terminal diseases <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nSymons warned that lawmakers in other countries debating euthanasia may underestimate how eligibility criteria may expand over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe biggest risk is establishing a \u2018right to die\u2019 that could extend far beyond terminal illness, thus allowing access to euthanasia to any group that wants it,\u201d he said. \u201cThis includes people with mental illness, people with chronic illnesses, and even people tired of life. If it is claimed that some people have the right to euthanasia, it is difficult to deny the conclusion that all people have the right to euthanasia.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Euthanasia, legal in several countries<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAround the world, assisted dying laws have expanded steadily over the past decade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Euthanasia - in which a physician directly administers life-ending drugs - is now legal under defined criteria in several countries around the world, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Canada<\/a>, Colombia, New Zealand and Australia, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\nComplex reality <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nCatholic health care providers in Australia say they are navigating a complex new reality, seeking to maintain longstanding commitments to palliative care while operating within systems where assisted dying is legal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adrian Kerr, speaking on behalf of Catholic Health Australia, emphasized the historical roots of Catholic end-of-life care in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was a Catholic religious order - the Sisters of Charity - that founded Australia's first palliative care service in Sydney in 1890,\u201d he told OSV News. \u201cThat service was established to provide care to anyone who needed it. It is part of a long legacy of care involving Catholic Health Australia members, of which we are immensely proud; a reflection of the Good Samaritan commitment, responding to need, no matter who it is.\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kerr said Catholic facilities continue to refuse to participate in voluntary assisted dying although they remain committed to the care of all patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Massive campaign by French bishops: urged to focus on palliative care<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nEchoing a mass campaign<\/a> from French bishops<\/a>, urging public efforts to focus public efforts on palliative care rather than assisted dying, Adrian Kerr said that experience shows that access to quality palliative care can significantly influence patients' decisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cWe have found that it is very rare for a person to make a definitive decision about VAD,\u201d he said. \u201cSome do so because their pain and symptoms are not well controlled, or because they experience some distress. We can, and do, help with these issues through holistic end-of-life care. Many patients find that this meets their needs and choose to die naturally.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
White: legalization transforms culture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nFor Blanco, the Spanish Catholic advocate of dignity at the end of life, it is the legalization of euthanasia that transforms the culture even without strong initial public demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen the law decriminalizing euthanasia was passed and regulated as just another health service, there was no significant social demand and, even today, there still is none,\u201d he said of Spain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut social normalization has already begun, and so begins the slippery slope, which in time always leads to the progressive trivialization of what has been decriminalized.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also pointed to demographic pressures on smaller families, urbanization and increasing isolation among older adults. \u201cIn this cultural and social context, it is foreseeable that euthanasia will be increasingly promoted as a reasonable solution for everyone,\u201d Blanco said. \u201cThese are slow processes, but they are underway.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Impact on families left behind<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nChurch leaders say the pastoral consequences of assisted dying are also becoming more visible, especially among families left behind when a loved one chooses euthanasia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Monica Doumit, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Sydney, said legalization has introduced new challenges for pastoral care. \u201cOne of the unexpected challenges that has become apparent is not the pastoral care of a person seeking euthanasia or assisted suicide, but the care of the families left behind,\u201d she told OSV News. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Distress: families who are not informed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u201cSome of these family members, especially if they are people of faith, did not agree with their loved one's decision to die that way, and their death provokes not only grief, but also regret that they could not have done more and even anger.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Doumit said families sometimes learn of decisions about assisted dying only after the process has begun or ended, which deepens the trauma. \u201cThis can be very distressing and is one of the pastoral challenges presented by this terrible legislative regime,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Church, a compassionate care provider<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Benigno Blanco, former president of the Family Forum, said social attitudes are gradually changing as euthanasia becomes routine in public health reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEuthanasia has begun to become socially normalized,\u201d Blanco told OSV News. \u201cThe numbers of euthanasia cases are published periodically as just another statistic that no longer provokes a strong reaction. We are getting used to euthanasia as just another social phenomenon, and this is how the trivialization of the legalized always begins. After this trivialization in the collective consciousness, the number of practices gradually increases\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
United Kingdom, on the verge of legalization<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe United Kingdom is also on the verge of legalizing assisted suicide, with debates underway in Parliament and Catholic legislators fighting to stop<\/a> an \u201coutrageous\u201d bill on assisted suicide.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAustralia, steadily increasing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAustralia, on the other hand, offers one of the clearest case studies on how assisted dying laws evolve once introduced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Legalization in the state of Victoria with the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act was passed in 2017 and came into effect in 2019. Since then, it has spread nationally and the number of assisted dying cases has steadily increased, raising questions about how these laws transform cultural expectations and the moral identity of medicine.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In New South Wales, the second annual report of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Board shows that 2,295 people made a first-time application for VAD, while 1,028 died from the use of a VAD (Voluntary Assisted Dying) substance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Xavier Symons: the trend towards standardization <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nLeading Australian bioethicist and author Xavier Symons said. the trend<\/a> reflects a deeper social transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cI think the growing number of ADV cases in Australia reflects both the growing public awareness of euthanasia as an option for the dying and the normalization of the choice of that option,\u201d Xavier Symons, a professor who directs the Plunkett Centre for Ethics at Australian Catholic University and St. Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, told OSV News. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Undoubtedly, other factors have influenced the increase in VAD rates in the states, such as the availability of more professionals to provide VADs and pressure from pro-euthanasia lobbies to make euthanasia accessible in regional and remote areas. But societal attitudes are also likely to have changed in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Concern that the idea that healing is fundamental to medicine is eroding <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nSymons said the impact extends beyond patients' individual choices and is changing the way society views medicine<\/a> itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cI worry that the DVA will erode the idea that healing is fundamental to medicine,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are witnessing a replacement of the Hippocratic view of medicine-which includes the idea that a physician has a duty to seek the good of the patient-with the idea that a physician is a service provider and must help patients who wish to end their lives.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot all physicians practice euthanasia; many are conscientious objectors. But the fact that medicine now practices euthanasia affects society's perception of the medical profession.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\nA man in a wheelchair talks with a nurse in the palliative care unit of the Saint-Elisabeth Clinic in Marseille, France, May 31, 2024. On Jan. 15, 2026, French bishops reaffirmed their opposition to a bill establishing the right to \u00abactive assistance in dying,\u00bb which senators had begun reviewing on Jan. 20. The National Assembly approved the measure on May 27, 2025. (Photo by OSV News\/Manon Cruz, Reuters).
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nRisk of expansion beyond terminal diseases <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nSymons warned that lawmakers in other countries debating euthanasia may underestimate how eligibility criteria may expand over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe biggest risk is establishing a \u2018right to die\u2019 that could extend far beyond terminal illness, thus allowing access to euthanasia to any group that wants it,\u201d he said. \u201cThis includes people with mental illness, people with chronic illnesses, and even people tired of life. If it is claimed that some people have the right to euthanasia, it is difficult to deny the conclusion that all people have the right to euthanasia.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Euthanasia, legal in several countries<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAround the world, assisted dying laws have expanded steadily over the past decade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Euthanasia - in which a physician directly administers life-ending drugs - is now legal under defined criteria in several countries around the world, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Canada<\/a>, Colombia, New Zealand and Australia, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\nComplex reality <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nCatholic health care providers in Australia say they are navigating a complex new reality, seeking to maintain longstanding commitments to palliative care while operating within systems where assisted dying is legal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adrian Kerr, speaking on behalf of Catholic Health Australia, emphasized the historical roots of Catholic end-of-life care in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was a Catholic religious order - the Sisters of Charity - that founded Australia's first palliative care service in Sydney in 1890,\u201d he told OSV News. \u201cThat service was established to provide care to anyone who needed it. It is part of a long legacy of care involving Catholic Health Australia members, of which we are immensely proud; a reflection of the Good Samaritan commitment, responding to need, no matter who it is.\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kerr said Catholic facilities continue to refuse to participate in voluntary assisted dying although they remain committed to the care of all patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Massive campaign by French bishops: urged to focus on palliative care<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nEchoing a mass campaign<\/a> from French bishops<\/a>, urging public efforts to focus public efforts on palliative care rather than assisted dying, Adrian Kerr said that experience shows that access to quality palliative care can significantly influence patients' decisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cWe have found that it is very rare for a person to make a definitive decision about VAD,\u201d he said. \u201cSome do so because their pain and symptoms are not well controlled, or because they experience some distress. We can, and do, help with these issues through holistic end-of-life care. Many patients find that this meets their needs and choose to die naturally.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
White: legalization transforms culture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nFor Blanco, the Spanish Catholic advocate of dignity at the end of life, it is the legalization of euthanasia that transforms the culture even without strong initial public demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen the law decriminalizing euthanasia was passed and regulated as just another health service, there was no significant social demand and, even today, there still is none,\u201d he said of Spain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut social normalization has already begun, and so begins the slippery slope, which in time always leads to the progressive trivialization of what has been decriminalized.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also pointed to demographic pressures on smaller families, urbanization and increasing isolation among older adults. \u201cIn this cultural and social context, it is foreseeable that euthanasia will be increasingly promoted as a reasonable solution for everyone,\u201d Blanco said. \u201cThese are slow processes, but they are underway.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Impact on families left behind<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nChurch leaders say the pastoral consequences of assisted dying are also becoming more visible, especially among families left behind when a loved one chooses euthanasia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Monica Doumit, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Sydney, said legalization has introduced new challenges for pastoral care. \u201cOne of the unexpected challenges that has become apparent is not the pastoral care of a person seeking euthanasia or assisted suicide, but the care of the families left behind,\u201d she told OSV News. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Distress: families who are not informed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u201cSome of these family members, especially if they are people of faith, did not agree with their loved one's decision to die that way, and their death provokes not only grief, but also regret that they could not have done more and even anger.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Doumit said families sometimes learn of decisions about assisted dying only after the process has begun or ended, which deepens the trauma. \u201cThis can be very distressing and is one of the pastoral challenges presented by this terrible legislative regime,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Church, a compassionate care provider<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Australia, steadily increasing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAustralia, on the other hand, offers one of the clearest case studies on how assisted dying laws evolve once introduced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Legalization in the state of Victoria with the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act was passed in 2017 and came into effect in 2019. Since then, it has spread nationally and the number of assisted dying cases has steadily increased, raising questions about how these laws transform cultural expectations and the moral identity of medicine.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In New South Wales, the second annual report of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Board shows that 2,295 people made a first-time application for VAD, while 1,028 died from the use of a VAD (Voluntary Assisted Dying) substance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Xavier Symons: the trend towards standardization <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nLeading Australian bioethicist and author Xavier Symons said. the trend<\/a> reflects a deeper social transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cI think the growing number of ADV cases in Australia reflects both the growing public awareness of euthanasia as an option for the dying and the normalization of the choice of that option,\u201d Xavier Symons, a professor who directs the Plunkett Centre for Ethics at Australian Catholic University and St. Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, told OSV News. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Undoubtedly, other factors have influenced the increase in VAD rates in the states, such as the availability of more professionals to provide VADs and pressure from pro-euthanasia lobbies to make euthanasia accessible in regional and remote areas. But societal attitudes are also likely to have changed in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Concern that the idea that healing is fundamental to medicine is eroding <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nSymons said the impact extends beyond patients' individual choices and is changing the way society views medicine<\/a> itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cI worry that the DVA will erode the idea that healing is fundamental to medicine,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are witnessing a replacement of the Hippocratic view of medicine-which includes the idea that a physician has a duty to seek the good of the patient-with the idea that a physician is a service provider and must help patients who wish to end their lives.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNot all physicians practice euthanasia; many are conscientious objectors. But the fact that medicine now practices euthanasia affects society's perception of the medical profession.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\nA man in a wheelchair talks with a nurse in the palliative care unit of the Saint-Elisabeth Clinic in Marseille, France, May 31, 2024. On Jan. 15, 2026, French bishops reaffirmed their opposition to a bill establishing the right to \u00abactive assistance in dying,\u00bb which senators had begun reviewing on Jan. 20. The National Assembly approved the measure on May 27, 2025. (Photo by OSV News\/Manon Cruz, Reuters).
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nRisk of expansion beyond terminal diseases <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nSymons warned that lawmakers in other countries debating euthanasia may underestimate how eligibility criteria may expand over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe biggest risk is establishing a \u2018right to die\u2019 that could extend far beyond terminal illness, thus allowing access to euthanasia to any group that wants it,\u201d he said. \u201cThis includes people with mental illness, people with chronic illnesses, and even people tired of life. If it is claimed that some people have the right to euthanasia, it is difficult to deny the conclusion that all people have the right to euthanasia.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Euthanasia, legal in several countries<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAround the world, assisted dying laws have expanded steadily over the past decade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Euthanasia - in which a physician directly administers life-ending drugs - is now legal under defined criteria in several countries around the world, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Canada<\/a>, Colombia, New Zealand and Australia, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\nComplex reality <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nCatholic health care providers in Australia say they are navigating a complex new reality, seeking to maintain longstanding commitments to palliative care while operating within systems where assisted dying is legal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adrian Kerr, speaking on behalf of Catholic Health Australia, emphasized the historical roots of Catholic end-of-life care in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was a Catholic religious order - the Sisters of Charity - that founded Australia's first palliative care service in Sydney in 1890,\u201d he told OSV News. \u201cThat service was established to provide care to anyone who needed it. It is part of a long legacy of care involving Catholic Health Australia members, of which we are immensely proud; a reflection of the Good Samaritan commitment, responding to need, no matter who it is.\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kerr said Catholic facilities continue to refuse to participate in voluntary assisted dying although they remain committed to the care of all patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Massive campaign by French bishops: urged to focus on palliative care<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nEchoing a mass campaign<\/a> from French bishops<\/a>, urging public efforts to focus public efforts on palliative care rather than assisted dying, Adrian Kerr said that experience shows that access to quality palliative care can significantly influence patients' decisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cWe have found that it is very rare for a person to make a definitive decision about VAD,\u201d he said. \u201cSome do so because their pain and symptoms are not well controlled, or because they experience some distress. We can, and do, help with these issues through holistic end-of-life care. Many patients find that this meets their needs and choose to die naturally.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
White: legalization transforms culture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nFor Blanco, the Spanish Catholic advocate of dignity at the end of life, it is the legalization of euthanasia that transforms the culture even without strong initial public demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen the law decriminalizing euthanasia was passed and regulated as just another health service, there was no significant social demand and, even today, there still is none,\u201d he said of Spain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut social normalization has already begun, and so begins the slippery slope, which in time always leads to the progressive trivialization of what has been decriminalized.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also pointed to demographic pressures on smaller families, urbanization and increasing isolation among older adults. \u201cIn this cultural and social context, it is foreseeable that euthanasia will be increasingly promoted as a reasonable solution for everyone,\u201d Blanco said. \u201cThese are slow processes, but they are underway.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Impact on families left behind<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nChurch leaders say the pastoral consequences of assisted dying are also becoming more visible, especially among families left behind when a loved one chooses euthanasia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Monica Doumit, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Sydney, said legalization has introduced new challenges for pastoral care. \u201cOne of the unexpected challenges that has become apparent is not the pastoral care of a person seeking euthanasia or assisted suicide, but the care of the families left behind,\u201d she told OSV News. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Distress: families who are not informed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\u201cSome of these family members, especially if they are people of faith, did not agree with their loved one's decision to die that way, and their death provokes not only grief, but also regret that they could not have done more and even anger.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Doumit said families sometimes learn of decisions about assisted dying only after the process has begun or ended, which deepens the trauma. \u201cThis can be very distressing and is one of the pastoral challenges presented by this terrible legislative regime,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Church, a compassionate care provider<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Leading Australian bioethicist and author Xavier Symons said. the trend<\/a> reflects a deeper social transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think the growing number of ADV cases in Australia reflects both the growing public awareness of euthanasia as an option for the dying and the normalization of the choice of that option,\u201d Xavier Symons, a professor who directs the Plunkett Centre for Ethics at Australian Catholic University and St. Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, told OSV News. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Undoubtedly, other factors have influenced the increase in VAD rates in the states, such as the availability of more professionals to provide VADs and pressure from pro-euthanasia lobbies to make euthanasia accessible in regional and remote areas. But societal attitudes are also likely to have changed in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Symons said the impact extends beyond patients' individual choices and is changing the way society views medicine<\/a> itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI worry that the DVA will erode the idea that healing is fundamental to medicine,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are witnessing a replacement of the Hippocratic view of medicine-which includes the idea that a physician has a duty to seek the good of the patient-with the idea that a physician is a service provider and must help patients who wish to end their lives.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot all physicians practice euthanasia; many are conscientious objectors. But the fact that medicine now practices euthanasia affects society's perception of the medical profession.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Symons warned that lawmakers in other countries debating euthanasia may underestimate how eligibility criteria may expand over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe biggest risk is establishing a \u2018right to die\u2019 that could extend far beyond terminal illness, thus allowing access to euthanasia to any group that wants it,\u201d he said. \u201cThis includes people with mental illness, people with chronic illnesses, and even people tired of life. If it is claimed that some people have the right to euthanasia, it is difficult to deny the conclusion that all people have the right to euthanasia.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Around the world, assisted dying laws have expanded steadily over the past decade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Euthanasia - in which a physician directly administers life-ending drugs - is now legal under defined criteria in several countries around the world, including the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Canada<\/a>, Colombia, New Zealand and Australia, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Catholic health care providers in Australia say they are navigating a complex new reality, seeking to maintain longstanding commitments to palliative care while operating within systems where assisted dying is legal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adrian Kerr, speaking on behalf of Catholic Health Australia, emphasized the historical roots of Catholic end-of-life care in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was a Catholic religious order - the Sisters of Charity - that founded Australia's first palliative care service in Sydney in 1890,\u201d he told OSV News. \u201cThat service was established to provide care to anyone who needed it. It is part of a long legacy of care involving Catholic Health Australia members, of which we are immensely proud; a reflection of the Good Samaritan commitment, responding to need, no matter who it is.\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kerr said Catholic facilities continue to refuse to participate in voluntary assisted dying although they remain committed to the care of all patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Echoing a mass campaign<\/a> from French bishops<\/a>, urging public efforts to focus public efforts on palliative care rather than assisted dying, Adrian Kerr said that experience shows that access to quality palliative care can significantly influence patients' decisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have found that it is very rare for a person to make a definitive decision about VAD,\u201d he said. \u201cSome do so because their pain and symptoms are not well controlled, or because they experience some distress. We can, and do, help with these issues through holistic end-of-life care. Many patients find that this meets their needs and choose to die naturally.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Blanco, the Spanish Catholic advocate of dignity at the end of life, it is the legalization of euthanasia that transforms the culture even without strong initial public demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen the law decriminalizing euthanasia was passed and regulated as just another health service, there was no significant social demand and, even today, there still is none,\u201d he said of Spain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut social normalization has already begun, and so begins the slippery slope, which in time always leads to the progressive trivialization of what has been decriminalized.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also pointed to demographic pressures on smaller families, urbanization and increasing isolation among older adults. \u201cIn this cultural and social context, it is foreseeable that euthanasia will be increasingly promoted as a reasonable solution for everyone,\u201d Blanco said. \u201cThese are slow processes, but they are underway.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Church leaders say the pastoral consequences of assisted dying are also becoming more visible, especially among families left behind when a loved one chooses euthanasia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monica Doumit, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Sydney, said legalization has introduced new challenges for pastoral care. \u201cOne of the unexpected challenges that has become apparent is not the pastoral care of a person seeking euthanasia or assisted suicide, but the care of the families left behind,\u201d she told OSV News. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSome of these family members, especially if they are people of faith, did not agree with their loved one's decision to die that way, and their death provokes not only grief, but also regret that they could not have done more and even anger.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Doumit said families sometimes learn of decisions about assisted dying only after the process has begun or ended, which deepens the trauma. \u201cThis can be very distressing and is one of the pastoral challenges presented by this terrible legislative regime,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\nConcern that the idea that healing is fundamental to medicine is eroding <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nRisk of expansion beyond terminal diseases <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Euthanasia, legal in several countries<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Complex reality <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Massive campaign by French bishops: urged to focus on palliative care<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
White: legalization transforms culture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Impact on families left behind<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Distress: families who are not informed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Church, a compassionate care provider<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n