Humanists Malta want 'kinder' euthanasia law based on suffering not timelines
NGO says government should abandon six-month prognosis rule
The Humanists Malta on Thursday called for a “kinder” euthanasia law that reflects the suffering a patient is enduring rather than life expectancy saying such a prognosis is “unreliable”.
While welcoming the government’s “measured and humane” proposals on Voluntary Assisted Euthanasia, the NGO insisted the six-month prognosis rule is “unreliable” and suffering should guide eligibility rather than time.
The NGO was echoing the Medical Association of Malta’s position on this matter. In their position paper published earlier this month, the MAM said predicting when a patient will die is unreliable and should be abandoned as a criterion.
“Studies show prediction accuracy to be as low as 23%, regardless of speciality,” MAM said.
The Humanists Malta urged the government to put “compassion into practice”.
“This debate is about compassion in practice, balancing safeguards with choice for those few individuals confronting unrelenting pain with no hope of improvement,” Humanists Malta campaigns researcher Joanna Onions said.
The NGO believes in respecting personal autonomy, alleviating suffering and promoting dignity at the end of life. It added that palliative care and euthanasia are “complementary” and one should not undermine the other.
“Legalising voluntary assisted euthanasia often strengthens palliative care systems,” Onions said.
The NGO added that the widely cited claim that people opt for euthanasia because they “feel like a burden” is misleading and out of context.
They called for legal safeguards to prevent coercion as “no one should be pressured to choose or reject euthanasia”.
The law must ensure inclusive eligibility avoiding discrimination based on age, disability or mental health status, the NGO said, adding that living wills and health proxies should be clearly supported to uphold a patient’s previously expressed wishes.
They also called for conscientious objections by professionals to be respected but they should not obstruct access to lawful end-of-life options.
Humanists Malta chair James Buhagiar said: “We are in favour of voluntary assisted dying, provided it is free from coercion and grounded in the core values of dignity and respect for life. We believe in coming together to support those in need. Malta has the potential to offer compassion alongside high-quality palliative care. We support a multidisciplinary approach that ensures holistic care for individuals at every stage.”