Should Australia Adopt a Groningen Like Protocol?

Abstract

Based on an analysis of a case study from a Victorian case of neonatal hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE), I want to propose that in some circumstances it would be desirable to have well-regulated legal provisions, such as the Groningen Protocol (GP), to hasten the death of newborns with catastrophic health conditions in order to reduce suffering. My argument will take the following form: (1) Neonatal euthanasia in form of withholding all (including natural) nutrition and hydration is already practiced in Victoria and considered legal in circumstances of palliative care. (2) In cases where it is already legally practiced, there are better and worse ways to achieve a good death. Ways that result in less suffering, all else being equal, are morally superior and therefore preferable. (3) Lethal injections that result in a painless, controlled death are better than starvation, because it causes less suffering. Therefore, in cases where death as the palliative outcome is either aimed at or unavoidable, injection of a lethal medication is preferable to slow starvation. In well considered circumstances it should therefore be a legal treatment option and considered best practice.