{"id":2000112743,"date":"2026-05-21T17:26:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T15:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000112743"},"modified":"2026-05-21T16:42:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T14:42:15","slug":"rwandans-weigh-in-on-euthanasia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/rwandans-weigh-in-on-euthanasia\/","title":{"rendered":"Rwandans weigh in on euthanasia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, euthanasia is permitted under strict legal conditions for patients with incurable illnesses who repeatedly request assistance to end their suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depending on the law, doctors may either administer life-ending medication directly or prescribe medication for the patient to take themselves, a practice known as medically assisted suicide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Netherlands, more than 10,000 euthanasia cases were recorded in 2025, representing around 6% of all deaths in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A recent poll conducted by IGIHE on social media asked whether Rwanda should consider allowing euthanasia for patients experiencing severe pain with no hope of recovery. Around 1,700 respondents supported the idea, while more than 900 opposed it and hundreds said they were undecided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supporters cite dignity and relief from suffering<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several people interviewed by IGIHE, particularly younger respondents from Southern and Western Rwanda, said terminally ill patients should be allowed to choose a dignified death instead of enduring prolonged suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nineteen-year-old Philbert Irankunda said some illnesses leave patients in unbearable pain with no realistic chance of recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are situations where a patient suffers so much that they may personally wish for their pain to end,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claude Niyomugabo, 20, said the emotional and financial burden on families can also become overwhelming when treatment offers little hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome families spend everything they own on treatment even when doctors already know the patient will not recover,\u201d he said. \u201cIn such cases, some people believe allowing the patient to die peacefully may be the more humane option.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fidele Kanyanzira, 68, expressed a similar view, particularly for elderly patients with irreversible conditions.
\u201cIf someone is very old, in constant pain and cannot recover, helping them die peacefully can spare them unnecessary suffering,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He noted, however, that he would not support such a decision for children or young people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Religious and cultural beliefs drive opposition<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many opponents of euthanasia said their views are rooted in religious beliefs and the conviction that only God should determine when life ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jean Bosco Akumuntu said Christians believe life is sacred and should not be deliberately ended by human intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLife comes from God, and only God decides when it ends,\u201d he said. \u201cHelping someone die is something many believers would consider morally wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An elderly woman interviewed by IGIHE also rejected the idea, arguing that even patients in severe pain should be allowed to die naturally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGod already knows when a person\u2019s life will end,\u201d she said. \u201cEnding life intentionally is not acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medical professionals highlight ethical dilemmas<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A doctor working in Rwanda\u2019s Southern Province told IGIHE that families sometimes exhaust their savings, sell land and lose property trying to care for relatives with terminal illnesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are cases where families know the patient will not recover, but they continue spending everything they have in search of treatment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The doctor explained that euthanasia, where legal, is intended to ease suffering rather than cause harm, as patients are given medication designed to allow a peaceful and painless death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe final stages of some illnesses can involve extreme pain,\u201d he said. \u201cSome people believe patients should be allowed to die with dignity rather than continue suffering unnecessarily.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that cultural traditions and strong religious beliefs remain among the main reasons euthanasia \u2014 much like cremation \u2014 remains widely rejected in Rwanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
In some countries, euthanasia is permitted under strict legal conditions for patients with incurable illnesses who repeatedly request assistance to end their suffering. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As several Western countries continue expanding legal frameworks around euthanasia, Rwandans remain divided on whether terminally ill patients suffering from unbearable pain should have the right to end their lives with medical assistance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2000112745,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000112743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"featured_image":{"id":2000112745,"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/amen_-2.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1000,"height":563,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/amen_-2.jpg","width":150,"height":84},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/amen_-2.jpg","width":300,"height":169},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/amen_-2.jpg","width":768,"height":432},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/amen_-2.jpg","width":1000,"height":563},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/amen_-2.jpg","width":1000,"height":563}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000112743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000112743"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000112743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000112749,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000112743\/revisions\/2000112749"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000112745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000112743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000112743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000112743"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000112743"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000112743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}