Perspective: Why human dignity can’t exclude the smallest, and most vulnerable among us – Deseret News

Analysis of Human Dignity and Autonomy in the Context of Sustainable Development Goals

Contemporary discourse surrounding personal autonomy and freedom, particularly in healthcare and reproductive rights, presents complex challenges to the universal application of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). An examination of historical precedents and current legislative trends reveals significant tensions, particularly concerning SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). This report analyzes these tensions, using a historical case study to illustrate the risks of societal frameworks that devalue certain human lives.

Historical Precedent: State-Sanctioned Devaluation of Life and Its Relation to SDGs

Case Study: The Nazi Regime’s “Euthanasia” Program

The treatment of individuals with disabilities during Germany’s Nazi regime provides a critical case study on the failure to uphold fundamental human rights, directly contravening the principles that underpin the SDGs.

• Gertrud Paula Meyer, a German citizen who developed schizophrenia, was institutionalized and forcibly sterilized under the “Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring.”
• This policy initially targeted children with physical and mental disabilities before being expanded to include adults.
• Meyer was subsequently sent to the Hadamar institution, a center for the regime’s “euthanasia” program, where she was killed in a gas chamber.
• Her official death certificate justified her extermination on the grounds that her existence “defiled the purity of German blood,” codifying the belief that her life lacked value.

Implications for SDG 10 and SDG 16

This historical event represents a catastrophic failure of the principles enshrined in the SDGs.

• SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): The program was the ultimate expression of inequality, institutionalizing the idea that the lives of persons with disabilities were a burden and lacked intrinsic worth. It stands as a stark warning against any policy that creates a hierarchy of human value.
• SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions): The regime’s legal and institutional frameworks were perverted to systematically perpetrate injustice against its most vulnerable citizens. This demonstrates how the failure of institutions to protect all individuals can lead to severe human rights violations.

Contemporary Legislative Debates and Their Impact on Sustainable Development

Assisted Suicide, Disability Rights, and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being)

Modern legislative efforts concerning end-of-life choices, such as the Medical Aid in Dying Act considered in New York, raise critical questions regarding the implementation of SDG 3. While framed as an expansion of compassionate choice, data from jurisdictions where such laws exist suggest potential conflicts with the goal of ensuring well-being for all.

In Canada, where medical assistance in dying (MAID) has been legal since 2016, analysis of 2022 data reveals systemic issues:

1. Of 13,241 assisted deaths, over 2,000 individuals cited loneliness as a reason for ending their lives.
2. Over 300 individuals chose MAID because they could not access adequate palliative care.
3. Approximately 200 individuals cited an inability to find adequate disability support services.

This evidence suggests that the absence of robust social and healthcare support systems, a key component of SDG 3, may influence life-ending decisions. This creates a risk that assisted suicide becomes a response to societal failures rather than an expression of autonomous choice in the face of terminal illness, disproportionately impacting those who are isolated or lack access to care.

Reproductive Freedom and the Principle of Inclusivity

The debate surrounding abortion intersects with the foundational SDG principle of “leaving no one behind.” Advocacy for “reproductive freedom for everybody” prompts a fundamental question about the scope of “everybody” and the point at which human life is granted dignity and protection.

• This issue challenges society to define humanity not by external traits, developmental stage, or perceived social contribution, but by intrinsic worth.
• A core tenet of the SDG framework is the protection of the vulnerable. The debate forces a confrontation with whether the unborn constitute a vulnerable group deserving of protection under the goals of promoting well-being (SDG 3) and reducing inequalities (SDG 10).
• To dismiss the value of any human life based on a subjective definition risks repeating historical errors where vulnerable populations were dehumanized and denied justice.

Conclusion: Upholding Universal Dignity as a Prerequisite for Achieving the SDGs

The historical case of Gertrud Paula Meyer and contemporary debates on euthanasia and abortion underscore a central theme: defining human worth based on capability, convenience, or perfection endangers the dignity of all. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals requires an unwavering commitment to the inherent value of every human life.

• Realizing SDG 3, 10, and 16: The successful implementation of these goals depends on building inclusive societies with strong institutions that provide justice and support for every individual, especially the defenseless.
• The Principle of “Leaving No One Behind”: This core SDG promise must be interpreted in its broadest sense. True freedom and justice are only possible when they protect every human being, particularly those who cannot speak for themselves.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The article extensively discusses issues of mental health (schizophrenia), forced medical procedures (sterilization), end-of-life care, euthanasia, assisted suicide, and the lack of palliative care and disability services, all of which are central to ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all.
• SDG 5: Gender Equality: The central story of the author’s great-grandmother, a woman who was subjected to forced sterilization under a discriminatory law, directly addresses violations of women’s bodily autonomy and reproductive rights.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The core theme of the article is the danger of ideologies that devalue the lives of certain groups, specifically people with physical and mental disabilities. It argues against discrimination and for the inclusion and protection of all individuals, irrespective of their health or ability status.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The article uses the historical example of the Nazi regime to illustrate a complete failure of justice and the rule of law. It discusses how laws and state actions can either protect or violate fundamental human rights, highlighting the need for just and non-discriminatory legislation and institutions that protect the most vulnerable.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.4: Reduce by one-third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being. The story of the author’s great-grandmother, who suffered from schizophrenia and was ultimately killed rather than treated, represents a profound failure to meet this target.
   • Target 3.7: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services. The great-grandmother’s forced sterilization under the “Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring” is a direct violation of this target, which aims to ensure individuals have control over their own reproductive health.
   • Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including access to quality essential health-care services. The article points to a failure in this area by citing the Canadian example where over 500 people chose assisted suicide in 2022 because they could not access adequate palliative care or disability services, indicating significant gaps in essential health coverage.

2. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • Target 5.6: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights. The forced sterilization of Gertrud Paula Meyer is a historical example of the denial of reproductive rights to a woman based on her health status, directly contravening the principles of this target.

3. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Target 10.2: Empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status. The Nazi “euthanasia” program, which targeted and murdered physically and mentally disabled children and adults, is the ultimate example of violent exclusion and a failure to protect vulnerable populations, a core concern of this target.
   • Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices. The Nazi “Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring” is a clear example of a discriminatory law that this target aims to eliminate. The article implicitly warns that modern legislation, such as assisted suicide laws, could lead to unequal outcomes for people with disabilities if not carefully implemented.

4. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere. The state-sanctioned murder of the author’s great-grandmother and thousands of others in Nazi death camps is an extreme form of violence that this target seeks to prevent.
   • Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all. The article demonstrates how the Nazi regime perverted the rule of law to commit atrocities. The author’s call to protect “those who cannot speak for themselves” is a plea for equal access to justice, a cornerstone of this target.
   • Target 16.b: Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development. The article contrasts the discriminatory Nazi laws with the need for policies that protect the inherent worth of every individual, which is the essence of this target. It questions whether new laws like the “Medical Aid in Dying Act” could be discriminatory in practice.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Implied Indicator for Target 3.4 (Mental Health): The personal story of Gertrud Paula Meyer, who was institutionalized and killed for her schizophrenia, serves as a qualitative indicator of the failure to provide mental health care and protect individuals with mental illness.
   • Implied Indicator for Target 3.8 (Access to Care): The article provides specific data that can be used as an indicator: “of 13,241 assisted suicides in Canada in 2022, more than 300 because they couldn’t get palliative care and about 200 because they couldn’t find adequate disability services.” This data directly measures a lack of access to essential health services.

2. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • Implied Indicator for Target 5.6 (Reproductive Rights): The existence of the “Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring” is a historical indicator of laws and regulations that deny women access to and control over their sexual and reproductive health.

3. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Implied Indicator for Target 10.3 (Discriminatory Laws): The article names a specific discriminatory law, the “Law for the Prevention of Hereditarily Diseased Offspring,” which serves as a clear, albeit historical, indicator of policies that create and enforce inequality against persons with disabilities.

4. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • Implied Indicator for Target 16.1 (Violence): The description of the Nazi “euthanasia” program and the murder of the author’s great-grandmother in a gas chamber at the Hadamar death camp serves as a powerful qualitative indicator of state-sanctioned violence and killing.
   • Implied Indicator for Target 16.b (Non-discriminatory Laws): The article’s discussion of the “Medical Aid in Dying Act” in New York implies that the content and implementation of such laws can be used as an indicator to measure whether policies are being promoted and enforced in a non-discriminatory way, especially concerning vulnerable groups like the terminally ill and disabled.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: deseret.com