Majority agree with euthanasia when faced with incurable conditions

The majority of those living in Malta agree that individuals suffering from incurable conditions should be able to choose to end their life.  

A survey on euthanasia commissioned by a relative of someone who died a slow and painful death sheds light on Malta’s views on the controversial subject. Carried out by market research company Esprimi, the survey seen by MaltaToday shows that 61.1% of respondents said that individuals should have the legal right to choose to end their life immediately if they are suffering from an incurable condition. 

Opposition to euthanasia stood at 18.8%, while 20.2% said they were unsure whether the law should afford such a right. 

Interestingly, the survey notes that a majority in favour of the right to euthanasia is found across all age groups except the 65 and over cohort. 

However, perception on euthanasia shifted heavily when respondents were quizzed on whether they were personally inclined to use the life-ending procedure if they suffered from a terminal disease. Those who would choose to end their own life immediately to avoid suffering accounted for 30.7% of respondents, while those who would prefer to endure the pain and prolong life as much as possible made up 28.1% of respondents. 

But 41.1% of respondents said that they would be unsure on what action to take if they were facing a terminal illness with severe pain and suffering. 

Maltese nationals comprised 97.8% of the sample used for the survey, while the rest were foreign nationals living in Malta. The survey polled 500 people. 

A slow death is ‘a harrowing experience’ 

One woman who spoke to MaltaToday but wished to remain anonymous described a harrowing experience during her aunt’s final days as she wrestled with Motor Neuron Disease. 

“I watched her struggling to breath... struggling to tell me things and not being able to... resorting to writing it down but only managing a few squiggly lines, all the while being in her full senses,” the woman said. 

Detailing the emotional pain suffered by herself and her family, she added: “What a cruel way to exit the world; no dignity, panicked because of her difficulty to breathe.” 

Heartbroken, she shared an interaction with a nurse who told her that despite her aunt being in a painful state, nothing could be done to ease her pain, before adding, “she only has a few days left, it will end soon.” 

“If I had the means and the courage, I would have helped my aunty end her misery there and then,” she told this newspaper. 

Discussion on euthanasia is in the pipeline 

By the end of this legislature, Malta is set to have a discussion on euthanasia if the Labour Party fulfils its electoral pledge. The PL 2022 general election manifesto said: “The time has come for a national, mature discussion on the introduction of voluntary euthanasia for terminally ill patients.” 

In November 2022, Prime Minister Robert Abela said a debate on euthanasia must lead to an eventual decision. The Nationalist Party had stated it is against euthanasia. 

During a ceremonial mass, shortly before President Myriam Spiteri Debono took her Oath of Office on Thursday, Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna used his homily to advise the new President to, “defend all life from the beginning of its existence until its natural end.”