THE RELUCTANCE of the German National Ethics Council expressly to forbid assisted suicide organisations in Germany has come in for sharp criticism by both Catholic and Lutheran churchmen.

In their declaration, entitled "Self-determination and Care of the Dying", which was published last week, the 25 members of the council, an independent advisory body inaugurated by the German federal Government in 2001 to establish a forum for dialogue on ethical issues in the life sciences, stated that assisted suicide should remain forbidden and punishable by law in Germany.

However, it did not expressly condemn doctors or organisations assisting people who wish to commit suicide.

For the first time, the Catholic members of the Council, which include auxiliary Bishop Losinger of Augsburg, formulated an additional statement in which they cautioned against organisations whose sole purpose it was to assist people to commit suicide."Once such organisations are tolerated or find social, cultural or legal acceptance, society can no longer carry out its mandate to protect those in danger of taking their own lives," they declared.

The president of the German bishops' conference, Cardinal Karl Lehmann of Mainz, deplored the widely differing opinions on assisted suicide. It was "especially disconcerting" that the council had given the impression that several members had agreed only to forbid assisted suicide "out of consideration for Germany's particular historical situation", he said.

Euthanasia is a particularly sensitive issue in both Germany and Austria, because the memory of Hitler's euthanasia programme, which aimed to rid society of people who were considered "unworthy of life", is still very real.