EKD boss Bedford-Strohm on the suicide debate: "In reality, suicide is something tragic, something sad"

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Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, regional bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria and EKD council chairman

Photo: Daniel Karmann / DPA

With the necessary new regulation of euthanasia, the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) insists on strengthening the protection of life as much as possible.

The constitutional court ruling from last year required legal regulations, said the EKD council chairman Heinrich Bedford-Strohm.

But: “We must avoid everything that, as a consequence of this judgment, makes suicide a normal option for the end of life.

That can't happen.

It makes good sense that the protection of life is intuitively deeply rooted in our culture, but also in ourselves. "

Debate in the Bundestag

The Bundestag will discuss the issue of euthanasia for two hours this Wednesday.

There are now three different cross-party parliamentary initiatives for new rules.

The new regulation is necessary because a year ago the Federal Constitutional Court overturned a ban on commercial euthanasia that had been in force since 2015.

It hurt the individual's right to self-determined death, judged the Karlsruhe judges at the time after complaints from the seriously ill, euthanasia and doctors.

This right includes the freedom to commit suicide and to resort to the voluntary help of third parties.

This applies expressly to everyone, not just to the terminally ill.

The judgment opened the door to organized offers - but also with the possibility of regulation such as advisory obligations or waiting periods (Az. 2 BvR 2347/15 et al.).

Suicide as defeat

"The ideal of autonomy, which was placed at the center there, as if suicide were something where, after careful consideration and as an act of freedom, one decides to part with life, that is quite a long way from reality." said Bedford-Strohm.

“In reality, suicide is something tragic, something sad.

Ultimately, he is also a defeat for me. "Because it was then obviously not possible to accompany this person in such a way, palliatively and also socially," that he has seen a way to continue his life and then to put dying in God's hands " .

Human inhibition to kill is good

It is good that people have a pronounced inhibition of killing and also an inhibition to take their own lives.

“That must not be leveled.

That is the most important thing, ”said the Bavarian regional bishop.

At the same time, one should not "morally sail away" over extreme dilemma situations, situations of suffering where people can no longer see any other way.

Moral norms have to be context-sensitive: "They must not lead to one turning off one's empathy in the face of imploring cries for help." It is important that there is room for conscience for those who, like doctors, have to deal directly with patients.

Bedford-Strohm called for prevention and palliative care to be further strengthened.

»In the care area, the equipment must be such that people can really be accompanied humanely.

That has to be worth something to us. «The health insurance and long-term care insurance contributions should be made accordingly.

ala / dpa