Euthanasia: failure or autonomy?

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Abstract
When faced with a request for euthanasia, carers should not immediately assume that this has been generated by a failure of care. It is possible to distinguish between those patients who can be helped to want to live again and those who cannot. Within the second group there will be individuals who choose euthanasia not because of psychological problems but because they consider it a rational choice, given who they are and how they have lived their lives. In dealing with such patients, carers must respect their decision, even when they are unable or unwilling to accede to it. Such respect is only possible in a context where people feel free to discuss and explore the possibility of euthanasia. If the institutional philosophy prevents this, a harm is done to those who believe that there is nothing wrong with euthanasia in principle, and that, in fact, it is right for them in practice.

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