German Bundestag, Plenarprotokoll 19/223,
28266-28267.
Herr President. Dear colleagues. Right honorable ladies and
gentlemen.
In its judgement, the Federal Constitutional Court derives
the right to a self-determined death, with the possibility of suicide
assistance, from the respect for the dignity of people. I cannot agree to this
thesis. I hold the opposite to be correct; namely, that human dignity commands
the respect and preservation of every human life. This proceeds from the
Christian conception of man [Menschenbild].
Albert Schweitzer designates this as “reverence for life”. Yes, no one wants
suffering in death, for oneself or see others suffer, especially one’s
relatives. Assisted suicide however can be no way out of the distress of
suffering and death.
And a prior obligation of counseling, as separately
proposed, can in my view be no solution. The resulting counseling would
thereupon be a prerequisite to be able to end one’s life assisted by a third
party, analogous to a termination of pregnancy; that is, the ending of the life
of an unborn child. As there is no right to abortion, exactly so can there be
no right to assistance in regards the killing of oneself.
Assisted suicide may not become a state-regulated form of
dying. It may not become a normality. The danger is not to be out of hand
rejected that old and ill people see themselves exposed to at least indirect
pressure to prepare to end their life so as not to become a burden on their relatives.
We may not open Pandora’s box. It is already not only about
the theme of assisted dying in regards terminally ill people, but also about
those who, out of despair, no longer want to live. What then comes next:
Assisted suicide for minors or homicide on demand? All of which there is
already in neighboring countries.
We do not have too little suicide but unfortunately too
much, certainly in times of Corona. The state, and thus also we in this
sovereign house, should therefore improve the provisions that will aid people in
apparently irremediable situations, that will take the pain as far as possible
from fatally ill people, and that enables the dying to die in dignity and in
the company of relatives. Thus must also suicide prevention, palliative
medicine and hospice work be promoted. The organized assistance for self-killing
may not become legal.
Many thanks for your attention.
[trans: tem]
