70 years old | “The more authoritarian the regime, the harsher the attitude towards euthanasia,” says doctor Juha Hänninen

“When young I thought I probably won't live until I'm 50.”

Doctor and non-fiction writer Juha Hänninen turns 70 on February 5. The idea of ​​youth has evaporated, Hänninen says that he is “chronologically already quite old”.

But he doesn't feel old and doesn't recognize a news text in which 65-year-olds might be called elderly.

“Psyche follows, I guess that's quite common.”

In addition, Hänninen does the same things that he has been doing alongside work for a long time. He writes non-fiction books and is active in association activities.

In recent years, his energy has been focused especially on promoting legislation allowing euthanasia. Among other things, he is the first to sign a new citizens' initiative, which aims to bring euthanasia to the parliamentary hearing.

It's natural, that even Hänninen's birthday interview begins with a reflection on the limitations of life. He has done his professional life's work in palliative, i.e. symptomatic treatment, i.e. treatment focused on pain relief, and with terminally ill patients and their families.

Hänninen worked as the director of Terhokod, which specializes in hospice care, from 1993 to 2017 and as a doctor until 2018.

“My professional expertise is narrow but deep,” he says.

HÄNNINE studied to be a doctor in his second education. He aimed to become a psychiatrist, but the experiences he had during his studies already changed his plans.

“It was so dark. I was working in a closed ward at the Oulu District Mental Hospital. It was preservation. The nurses were mostly prison guards. Medicines were used a lot.”

It may come to mind that the years in Terhokodi, where patients come to die, have probably also been dark.

“On the contrary,” says Hänninen. “It was full of support and joyful well-being. People were satisfied that a lot could still be done for them.”

Working in the midst of death affected Hänninen in two ways. First of all, death became commonplace, after all, facing it was present at work all the time. On the other hand, he began to see the possibility of death in even the smallest of his own and those close to him.

“Everyone who came to us died. And everyone's first symptom had been something quite small and insignificant.”

EUTHANASIA to share opinions. Among other things, the Medical Association recently published a reportaccording to which more than half of doctors support allowing euthanasia in Finland.

In Hänninen's opinion, Lääkärielehti reported the study in a questionable way when it equated in the headline only those who fully supported and opposed the legalization of euthanasia who responded to the e-mail survey. There were just as many of them.

Of the approximately 9,000 respondents, 54.5 percent at least partially agreed with legalization, while 40.3 percent disagreed.

“The Medical Association interprets its own studies in an interesting way. Support for euthanasia has been growing all the time. When doctors were asked about this for the first time in the 1990s, the support was less than 20 percent”, Hänninen smiles.

“On the other hand, internationally, the more authoritarian the regime in the country is, the stricter the attitude towards euthanasia. This is a question related to the right of human self-determination.”

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“Support for euthanasia has grown all the time.”

Hänninen supports euthanasia based on the experience he has gained in his work.

“Some people have to die in impossible situations. A small part wishes to die. That's why I still do palliative care work, because I know that people can be helped. But there are still people who don't benefit from the treatments, don't want it or can't live, even if they get the treatment.”

In his next book on euthanasia, Hänninen examines the cultural backgrounds of allowing it. For example, how do laws on abortion and euthanasia correlate in different states in the United States? While initially protecting the fetus's right to life, as death approaches, is there an understanding of the individual's right to decide on his life, even its continuation?

The current one Hänninen believes that it will take years to work on the citizens' initiative demanding the legalization of euthanasia. The progress of the previous initiative in your boring Juha Sipilä (central) during the government's term, and according to Hänninen, the issue was also brought up in last summer's government negotiations. However, it did not end up in the government program. At least the Christian Democrats oppose the legalization of euthanasia.

Hänninen says that he often quotes an emeritus professor of criminal law who is familiar with medical law Raimo Lahtea:

“We will never reach a consensus. But we must reach a solution that we can tolerate in society.”

Life however, it is not just death or activism. Hänninen still works as a doctor two days a week, plays badminton and walks his dog Jello, a sociable 3-year-old labrador retriever.

Lately, “old TV series” have also been watched. Made between 2001 and 2005 Under the soil dealt with the life – and death – of a family of undertakers from Los Angeles.

• Born 1954 in Kuopio.

• Bachelor of Political Science 1978, majoring in social policy, University of Helsinki.

• Licentiate in medicine 1990. Special qualification in palliative medicine 2007.

• Worked as director of Terhokodi 1993–2017.

• Made several information books, e.g. We only die once (2018), Death as work (2020), Help me die (2022).

• Lives in Vantaa. Married, three adult children from a previous marriage, seven grandchildren.

• Plays badminton.

• Turns 70 on Monday, February 5th.

What would you tell your 20-year-old self?

“You were really stupid when you joined the army. You would have gone into civil service.”