Humanist Youth Group in Norway promotes active euthanasia

The Human-Etisk Forbund (Norwegian Humanist Association) (HEF) states on its website that it has "refrained from taking a stance on [euthanasia] but calls for a broad, factual and informed debate on the topic." Now, its youth organisation calls this stance "cowardly", the Christian newspaper Vart Land writes.

Therefore, Humanistisk Ungdom started a campaign this autumn to put active euthanasia on the agenda again in Norway. The campaign explicitly promotes the legalisation of active euthanasia so that patients can end their life "on their own terms." The youth organisation furthermore believes that active euthanasia is "a more humanitarian way for relatives to say goodbye", as "the alternative to active euthanasia is to commit suicide."

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Suicide

The organisation does not specify whether they are in favour of euthanasia (when a doctor ends the life of a patient) only or also of assisted suicide (when the patient administers the poison himself or herself). Currently, both practices are forbidden by criminal law in Norway. Only passive euthanasia is allowed. In that case, a doctor no longer provides treatment.

"We at Humanistisk Ungdom believe that the right to control one's own life is central and that the state must make arrangements for people with chronic diseases to be given the opportunity to decide on their own lives", the press release concludes.

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Dialogue

The leader of Humanistisk Ungdom, Kristina Williamson, says to Vart Land that she hopes that the campaign for the legalisation of active euthanasia will challenge the HEF to take a clear stance on the matter. "They should be confident enough to take a position", she believes.

Williamson believes that death is a taboo people don't want to know about, she says. "But we have to talk about it." According to her, dialogue can make death less scary.

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Debate

Christian Lomsdalen, the head of the parent organisation Human-Etisk Forbund, welcomes the debate, Vart Land states. "I hope that the youth manages to put active euthanasia on the agenda in the public debate", he tells the newspaper. Lomsdalen stresses that the youth branch is allowed to take a position on an issue that the parent organisation has not taken a stance on. At the same time, he points out that the discussion will not be ignited internally at this moment.