"Dying is not a crime." (死亡並不是一種罪行)
-- Jack Kevorkian (傑克·凱歐克因，美國推行安樂死合法化第一人)
安樂死又稱無痛死亡(Mercy Killing)或醫生協助自殺(Doctor-assisted Suicide)，由於涉及人類基本的生存權利，安樂死一直是一個飽含爭議的話題。目前已有一些國家從立法層面接受安樂死，但更多國家則選擇了觀望。作為安樂死合法化的堅定支持者，我們來看看它是怎樣論證安樂死合法化的論點的。
One door closes, another opens
A missed opportunity in Britain; a chance to be seized in California
在英國錯失的良機，反倒在加利福尼亞把握住了
Sep 19th 2015 | From the print edition
SHOULD doctors be allowed to prescribe life-ending medication to terminally ill patients who ask for it? For this newspaper the answer is simple: the state should no more
intrude on personal decisions at the close of life than at any point during it. But doctor-assisted dying is legal in only a few European countries, Colombia and four
sparsely populated American states.
究竟是否應當批准醫生向請求安樂死的晚期病患者開具藥方呢？就這份報紙來說，答案很簡單：相比於生命其他階段，國家不應該在彌留之際再幹涉個人意願。然而，這種在醫生協助下進行的安樂死僅僅在為數不多的國家中是合法的，包括少數歐盟國家、哥倫比亞、以及美國四個人口稀少的自治州。
Last week, for the first time since both places said 「no」 in the 1990s, lawmakers in Britain and California voted on this question—and came to different conclusions. By 330 to 118, British MPs rejected a bill modelled on Oregon’s 1997 Death with Dignity Act; by narrower margins, California’s state assembly and senate passed a similar measure. If its governor, Jerry Brown, does not veto the bill within 30 days, doctor-assisted dying will soon be legal in America’s most
populous state.
早在20世紀90年代，英國和加利福尼亞便首次對這個問題作出投票，但兩地均未能通過該法案。就在上周，雙方再次就這個法案作出投票，結果卻迥然不同。英國議員的投票結果為330對118。英國議員反對這項效仿1997年在俄勒岡州通過的《尊嚴死亡法案》的法案。另一邊，加利福尼亞的州議會和參議院以微弱優勢通過了一項相似的法案。假如加州州長傑瑞-布朗在30天內不對這項法案進行否決，這種在醫生協助下進行的安樂死將很快在美國人口最密集的省份中合法化。
California’s bill had seemed
stalled; it was revived in a special legislative session. The British bill, by contrast, had
momentum. In 2010 the director of public prosecutions had said that those accompanying loved ones to clinics in Switzerland, where doctor-assisted dying is legal, would not face charges. And last year a similar bill had made good progress in the House of Lords, Britain’s upper chamber, before running out of time. But both shared a common feature: they were proposed by individual politicians, not the government. Indeed, everywhere that doctor-assisted dying has been considered or legalised, change has been
spurred on by campaigning patients and their supporters, not by mainstream political parties. Governments have preferred to avoid the issue—even though solid majorities of voters in most Western countries favour giving the terminally ill the option of a painless way out.
此前，這項法案在加利福尼亞似乎毫無進展，但在一次特別立法會議上重燃生機。相反，這項英國法案卻有著強勁的推進力。2010年，檢察總長便曾經說過，安樂死在瑞士是合法的，那些陪著伴侶到診所走完一生的人將不會面臨指控。上年，一項相似的法案在英國上議院中取得過不錯的進展，可惜最後不疾而終。但這兩者有著同樣的特徵：它們都是由政客提議的，並非政府。事實上，在所有考慮過或合法化安樂死的地方，驅使作出這些變化的是參與遊行的病人及其支持者，而不是主流政治黨派。然而，絕大部分西方國家的多數派選民都贊成安樂死，給予晚期病人選擇一種無痛的方式結束生命，但是各國政府仍然情願迴避這個問題。
Critics fear that legalising doctor-assisted suicide will start a slippery slide towards mass euthanasia. But this has not happened in Oregon, where in 17 years just 1,327 lethal doses have been dispensed—and that counts people who moved to Oregon specifically to die, including Brittany Maynard, a Californian with terminal brain cancer whose story moved some Californian lawmakers into supporting the bill. As The Economist has reported, there is little evidence that assisted-dying laws have been abused, and plenty that they alleviate suffering. Some fear that, if the option is available, sick or disabled people will feel undue pressure to make use of it. But this has not happened, either. On the contrary, many have found that having control over the timing and manner of their death has given them greater dignity and autonomy.
批評者擔心，合法化醫生協助式自殺將會誘發集體安樂死。然而，俄勒岡州並沒有出現過這種情況。過去17年間，俄勒岡州僅僅有1327人進行安樂死，當中包括那些專門前往俄勒岡州尋求安樂死的人，例如 一位患有晚期腦癌的加州女子布蘭妮-美娜德（Brittany
Maynard）。聽聞這位女子的故事後，很多加州立法議員感動不已，紛紛表態支持這項法案獲得通過。正如《經濟學人》報導，目前沒有證據指出人們濫用安樂死相關的法律。然而，大量證據均證明人們通過實施安樂死減輕了痛苦。有人擔憂，一旦安樂死合法化，病人或殘疾人士將會對使用安樂死感到不必要的壓力。但這種情況也沒有發生過。相反，人們得出一個結論：控制病患者的死亡時間和方式將會給予他們更多尊嚴和自主權。
Leading from the front
站在前線
Assisted dying has powerful, respectable opponents, including some doctors and religious leaders. California’s medical association recently dropped its opposition, but Britain’s remains opposed. The Catholic church condemns all forms of suicide. Britain’s prime minister, David Cameron, said he was 「happy」 for MPs to debate the matter, but was 「not convinced」 of the need for change. Mr Brown, a Catholic, said that the issue was 「important」 and merited 「serious consideration」, but has not made clear whether he will veto California’s bill.
安樂死面臨著類似醫生和有信仰的領導人等強大而可敬的對手。最近，加利福尼亞醫學協會已經宣告放棄其反對意見，但英國醫學協會仍然堅持反對。天主教會譴責任何形式的自殺。英國首相大衛-卡梅倫稱，他非常高興有議員討論這個問題，但質疑作出改變的必要性。天主教徒布朗先生稱這個問題非常重要，值得人們認真考慮，但並不清楚他是否會否決加利福尼亞的法案。
Mr Brown’s conscience is his to govern; Californians deserve the same liberty. He should let this bill pass. And governments everywhere should recognise that, just as life belongs to the individual, so should its end.
布朗的良知在於自我約束；加州人理應獲得同樣的自由。他應當讓這項法案獲得通過。而各國政府也應該意識到：正如生命屬於個人所有，他們也有權控制自己的死亡。
Translated By Johnny
Proofread By Eileen, Ennis
1.intrude into/on/upon: to interrupt someone or become involved in their private affairs, in an annoying and unwanted way
e.g. Civil Rights campaigners say the new laws will intrude on people’s personal freedom.
2.stall: if a process stalls, or if someone stalls it, it stops making progress
e.g. Talks have stalled and both sides are preparing for war.
3.sparse: existing only in small amounts
e.g. a sparsely populated area
4.momentum: the ability to keep increasing, developing, or being more successful
e.g. There was already evidence that the riots were losing their momentum.
5.spur sb/sth (on) to do sth: to encourage sb to do sth or to encourage them to try harder to achieve sth
e.g. Her difficult childhood spurred her on to succeed.
6.euthanasia: the practice (illegal in most countries) of killing without pain a person who is suffering from a disease that cannot be cured
7.merit: to deserve or be worth something
e.g. The question hardly merits an answer.
8.lethal: a. causing death, or able to cause death b.likely to be powerful or dangerous – often used humorously
e.g. The snake's venom is rarely lethal to humans.
1. 安樂死（Euthanasia）：對無法救治的病人停止治療或使用藥物，讓病人無痛苦地死去。 「安樂死」一詞源於希臘文， 意思是"幸福"地死亡。它包括兩層含義，一是安樂的無痛苦死亡；二是無痛致死術。儘管安樂死至今還沒有在多數國家合法化，但人們對給予病情危重而又無法治癒的病人以死的權力和自由以擺脫殘酷的病痛折磨的做法，愈來愈多地採取同情的態度，認為這是符合人道主義精神的。雖然西方許多國家都把安樂死看成犯罪行為，但支持實行安樂死的人數正在不斷增加。
2.Brittany Maynard（布裡塔尼·梅納德）：美國加州29歲女子布裡塔尼·梅納德在2014年11月1日在醫生的幫助下結束了自己的生命。今年年初，她被診斷為腦癌晚期，生命即將走到盡頭，她選擇推動美國為安樂死立法，並計劃在11月1日在醫生協助下結束自己的生命。
3.俄勒岡州：俄勒岡州是美國第一個允許安樂死的地方。華盛頓州、佛蒙特州和蒙大拿州也通過同樣立法。2007年，加州立法者曾提出安樂死議案，遭到天主教會、醫療組織和殘障人士權利組織的強烈反對而擱淺。