Judit Zeller, a former lawyer at the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (TASZ), who was appointed by Péter Magyar as Deputy State Secretary in the Ministry for Social Affairs and Family, has repeatedly spoken out in favor of euthanasia, Magyar Nemzet reported. She views the legal situation in the Benelux countries as a model, even though just a few days ago, euthanasia was performed for the first time in the Netherlands on a child under the age of 12.
TASZ described the new Deputy State Secretary as a lawyer who is committed to upholding fundamental rights and human dignity and who, in their view, has done invaluable work in the areas of patient rights, self-determination, end-of-life decisions, as well as educational and parental rights.
Judit Zeller. Photo: Attila Szervácz/Wikimedia Commons
Judit Zeller, who also taught at the University of Pécs, had previously spoken out on several occasions regarding the case of Dániel Karsai, who died two years ago from the incurable disease ALS.
The former lawyer became widely known at the time when she appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg in an effort to secure legal recognition of assisted dying.
In a 2023 interview with Szabad Európa, Zeller spoke on the topic of assisted dying and expressed the view that patients in Hungary do not receive sufficient support and information to make decisions regarding the end of their lives. She then described the current regulations as outdated.
When the government states that active euthanasia is not permitted in Hungary, it is presumably referring to an earlier 2003 decision by the Constitutional Court, according to which the state can fulfill its duty to protect life only if it excludes the possibility of euthanasia.
At the same time, circumstances may change in twenty years, as may the social environment, medicine, and the state of the healthcare system, Zeller explained three years ago.
In response to the claim that some believe the possibility of active euthanasia could lead to abuse, she argued that similar systems operate successfully in several countries.
It should be noted that a few days ago in the Netherlands, euthanasia was performed for the first time on a terminally ill child under the age of 12, based on regulations that went into effect two years ago.
Furthermore, based on a report, the number of people in the Netherlands who undergo euthanasia due to mental illnesses such as dementia, depression, or autism has risen alarmingly.
At a conference on euthanasia organized by Momentum in 2024, Zeller argued that—from a strictly constitutional perspective—even the fact that the healthcare system is dysfunctional and may consequently lead more people to end their lives cannot be an argument against euthanasia.
Three years ago, an elderly man in an apartment building in Újbuda killed his seriously ill, retired wife after the couple had agreed months earlier to end their lives together. The man, who was also seriously ill, ultimately survived, and based on a report at the time by RTL’s news program, he told his lawyer that he did not understand why he was not being allowed to go home—after all, he was not a criminal. The police had, in fact, initiated proceedings against the man on suspicion of manslaughter.
In connection with the case, Zeller told RTL at the time: “You cannot look at this in isolation from the state of end-of-life care in Hungary. Perhaps it would not occur to anyone to choose this path if medical and social care were so excellent.”
Via Magyar Nemzet, Szabad Európa; Featured photo: Pexels
