Survey on chaplaincy and quality of end of life
Luxembourg
The legal regulations on end of life choices in Luxembourg
According to the law of March 16th 2009:
- Doctors carrying out euthanasia or assisted suicide under precise circumstances are exempt from punishment
- Every patient is entitled to palliative care and palliative sedation
- In agreement with the patient, it is recommended to refrain from “unreasonable obstinacy”
- The abandonment of treatment can be taken into consideration
The view of the archdiocese of the Roman-Catholic-Church of Luxembourg on end of life choices
- On principle, the Roman-Catholic Church prohibits euthanasia and assisted suicide in every case
- It is allowed to fight pain, even with the risk of shortening life
- The abandonment of treatment can be taken into consideration
- The Church has a hand in further educating its believers and in explaining the problems accompanying this delicate discussion
- The Church makes intensive efforts to guarantee competent palliative care through both full-time and voluntary assistants
The main tensions in the chaplains’ general practice concerning quality of end of life
- In ethical case conferences, the chaplain needs to introduce the viewpoints of the Church
- The chaplain advocates that both doctor and patient may take free decisions in accord with their conscience
- The chaplain needs to deal with the question of administering the sacraments for people considering assisted suicide or euthanasia