Euthanasia in Malaysia: Opinions and controversies

Abstract

Euthanasia is one of the most controversial topics of the 2]" century after
cloning and genetic engineering. Has this issue arisen now due to changes in attitude
and perception on life of the modem society' This project was undertaken to study the
opinions of 2 selected groups of people and secondly, to highlight the legal, ethical
and religious controversies on euthanasia. Two groups comprising medical
undergraduates and medical personnel were given a questionnaire pertaining 10 his{
her opinion and altitude towards euthanasia. The second part of the project was
conducted via interviews.
The overall opinion from 399 respondents showed that 67.91% are against the practice
of euthanasia. Religion is a powerful force against it as Malaysians in general are God-fearing
people. There should be proper guidelines explaining how a doctor should
respond to patients or family members of patients who request for euthanasia to be
performed. It is not legal in Malaysia, but the court has the inherent power to permit it
should a particular case have substantial reasoning and evidence. In conclusion, the
level of awareness on euthanasia among medical staff and undergraduates is
satisfactory. However, most of them do not approve euthanasia in Malaysia.