By Tan Hui Yee

SHOULD ageing Singapore legalise euthanasia? Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan posed this question last night at the Institution of Engineers' annual dinner and dance, in response to a recent debate in the Chinese press over the issue.

Over the past few weeks, many readers of Lianhe Zaobao have written to the Chinese daily calling for euthanasia - or assisted dying - to be legalised in Singapore.

Mainly older folk, they feel they should be allowed to die with dignity when crippled by illness, instead of seeing their loved ones burdened by high medical bills and caregiving responsibilities.

One particularly desperate reader even sent Mr Khaw a letter, written in red ink, on a photocopy of Zaobao's forum page.

'By writing in red ink, he probably wanted to convey his message of anguish and pain,' said Mr Khaw.

The euthanasia debate was triggered by a letter published on Sept20 from 72-year-old Shen Li Zhen Ni, who said she and her 74-year-old husband lived each day in fear of falling ill and becoming dependent on others for their daily needs.

The elderly, she said, were more afraid of illness than death, and she had no qualms about having her plug pulled if she became 'useless' to society.

She added that taking care of such elderly folk was like 'filling a bottomless pit', as one never knew when the work would end.

The letter sparked passionate letters of support from other elderly folk and their caregivers. One, whose parents are in their 80s and bedridden after suffering strokes and other illnesses, described them as merely 'waiting to eat, sleep and die'. She has told her own children not to save her if she should end up in a similar condition.

The letter writers argued that legalising euthanasia was not about encouraging people to stop medical treatment or shirking the responsibility of looking after ailing relatives; it was about letting people die with dignity.

One reader, however, said Singapore should look into its ageist attitudes and find ways to help the elderly lead meaningful lives before addressing euthanasia.

The debate comes at a time when the Government is trying to get more people to make an Advance Medical Directive, which allows them to state their intention to stop medical treatment should they become terminally ill. Since this living will was introduced in 1997, fewer than 10,000 people have signed up.

Sociologist Paulin Straughan said any discussion of euthanasia needs to take in a host of issues, such as religious beliefs and when a person's medical condition can be deemed terminal.

'The appeal of euthanasia lies in the misconception that it is the individual's decision, and this decision is based on a very noble perception that we don't want to be a burden to our family in the end stages,' she said. 'But in reality, that decision affects so many others.'

Legalising euthanasia could also put pressure on individuals to choose the option against their will, she warned.

'Some may feel that if they love their family, they should opt for euthanasia if they are in the terminal stages of a painful condition, even if they are really not ready to go.'

This story was first published in The Straits Times on Oct 18, 2008.

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