"It is encouraging that the debate on euthanasia has been opened in the Human Rights Committee because it is an issue that I believe is of concern to society worldwide and to Cypriot society. It is an issue of the right of people to have a dignified death as they define it" said Alexandra Attalidou, MP of the Citizens' Ecological Co-operation Movement.
In her statements, she noted that it was a great pleasure to listen today to the Bar Association, Mr Achilleas Dimitriadis and academics such as Aris Konstantinidis, as well as the opinion of the bioethics committee and Mr Anastasiades from the medical association. "I think that these are the four axes on which we should move: ethical, philosophical, legal and medical examination of the issue."
At the same time, he added that they also listened to the view of the church with respect and stressed that the dialogue was very sober. "But I have to underline some things. Countries where euthanasia is already institutionalized and legally permissible, the percentage of citizens who approve of it is very high 70-80% think it is right. We have to say that we are talking about diseases which are incurable and we are discussing the choice between a peaceful death without pain and a death which will be very painful and excruciating" she explained.
As Attalidou notes, "our view is that we have to approach the issue from the point of view of ethics, that is, the right of individual dignity of free choice and self-determination in the body and in life. We believe that self-determination of the body is very important. As a feminist I support it in all areas related to the self-determination of our bodies. So I think that even in death there should be self-determination, if of course it is legislated and if all those cases in which it can be abused are exhausted," she said.
He welcomed today's debate and said he expected the bioethics committee and the medical and bar association to submit their views so that MPs could make decisions which are based on arguments that are irrefutable.
"It is important to open discussions on such issues as they only take society forward. We need as a society to soberly discuss these kinds of questions which are both existential but also affect individual freedoms."
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