Euthanasia in the Netherlands (original) (raw)
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Euthanasia in the Netherlands: The Legal Framework
Mich. St. U. Det. CLJ Int'l L., 2001
320 MSU-DCL Journal ofInternational Law [10:319 a survey among a random sample of family doctors, showing that in 22% of cases the request was made only once.3 The rate of record keeping4 and written requests5 in euthanasia cases improved during the 1990s, but the situation is ...
The limitations of the Dutch concept of euthanasia
Eubios journal of Asian and international bioethics: EJAIB
Why has the law on euthanasia in the Netherlands caused such an upheaval both at home and abroad? In this paper I explore some bioethical issues in the decriminalisation of euthanasia in the Netherlands. The regulatory role of legal and state institutions in the process of decision-making by patients, physicians and other people concerned plays a central role in these discussions. I argue, first, that the limited scope of the Dutch legislation on euthanasia cannot be a solution to end-of-life issues in general, and, second, that it is inadequate as a model for dealing with problems related to 'death-on-request' abroad. Moreover, the confusion around the meaning of the term euthanasia would make its adaptation in other institutional environments capricious. Legal changes in the Netherlands was accompanied by cultural changes, expressed in the use of terms such as individual autonomy and personal choice. In the last section of this article I argue that the social and political environment may be crucial in defining the meaning of free choice. The contending views on the decriminalisation of euthanasia seem to develop as a reaction to change in medical technology in a particular socio-political environment rather than from a unique cultural ethic.
Euthanasia in Holland: an ethical critique of the new law
Journal of Medical Ethics, 1994
In the Netherlands the government's proposalfor the legal regulation of euthanasia, assisted suicide and the termination of a patient's life without request has been approved by Parliament. The defence of this proposal is to a large extent based on a specific interpretation of data about the practice of euthanasia in that country, published in 1991 (the Remmelink Report). This paper discusses both the interpretation of the data and the new law. On the basis of that and other data, the author concludes that many cases of euthanasia, assisted suicide and termination of a patient's life without request remain unnotified and therefore unreviewed by the legal authorities. It is argued that the new law will not guarantee an improvement to this situation. In short, the new law will not protect effectively the lives ofpatients, and must, therefore, be open to ethical and legal objection.
Health Policy, 2009
Objectives: To describe and compare current legal procedures for notifying, controlling and evaluating (NCE-procedures) euthanasia in Belgium and the Netherlands, and to discuss the implications for a safe and controllable euthanasia practice. Methods: We systematically studied and compared official documents relating to the Belgian and the Dutch NCE-procedures for euthanasia. Results: In both countries, physicians are required to notify their cases to a review Committee, stimulating them to safeguard the quality of their euthanasia practice and to make societal control over the practice of euthanasia possible. However, the procedures in both countries differ. The main differences are that the Dutch notification and control procedures are more elaborate and transparent than the Belgian, and that the Belgian procedures are primarily anonymous, whereas the Dutch are not. Societal evaluation is made in both countries through the Committees' summary reports to Parliament. Conclusions: Transparent procedures like the Dutch may better facilitate societal control. Informing physicians about the law and the due care requirements for euthanasia, and systematic feedback about their medical actions are both pivotal to achieving efficient societal control and engendering the level of care needed when performing such far-reaching medical acts.
Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, 2009
Two decades of research on euthanasia in the Netherlands have resulted into clear insights in the frequency and characteristics of euthanasia and other medical end-of-life decisions in the Netherlands. These empirical studies have contributed to the quality of the public debate, and to the regulating and public control of euthanasia and physicianassisted suicide. No slippery slope seems to have occurred. Physicians seem to adhere to the criteria for due care in the large majority of cases. Further, it has been shown that the majority of physicians think that the euthanasia Act has improved their legal certainty and contributes to the carefulness of lifeterminating acts. In 2005, eighty percent of the euthanasia cases were reported to the review committees. Thus, the transparency envisaged by the Act still does not extend to all cases. Unreported cases almost all involve the use of opioids, and are not considered to be euthanasia by physicians. More education and debate is needed to disentangle in these situations which acts should be regarded as euthanasia and which should not. Medical end-of-life decision-making is a crucial part of end-of-life care. It should therefore be given continuous attention in health care policy and medical training. Systematic periodic research is crucial for enhancing our understanding of end-of-life care in modern medicine, in which the pursuit of a good quality of dying is nowadays widely recognized as an important goal, in addition to the traditional goals such as curing diseases and prolonging life.
Euthanasia in the Netherlands: The Policy and Practice of Mercy Killing
Description: The book offers a comprehensive survey and analysis of much of the empirical medical data, law, and ethics regarding end-of-life issues. It includes analysis of data from a variety of sources: ethical, medical and legal in the Netherlands. Each of the chapters offers a fresh insight on pertinent questions concerning end-of-life dilemmas. Methodology: An interdisciplinary study in ethics, medicine and law that incorporates the relevant theories and case studies with the findings of interviews conducted in dozens of hospitals and research centers in the Netherlands.
Euthanasia in the Netherlands: sliding down the slippery slope
Notre Dame JL Ethics & Pub. Pol'y, 1995
408 NOTRE DAME JOURNAL OF LAW, ETHICS & PUBLIC POLICY [Vol. 9 euthanasia such as newborns or those with advanced senile dementia). Arguments for voluntary euthanasia rest on the judg-ment that some lives are not "worth" living. Doctors are not automata who ...
End-of-Life Practices in the Netherlands under the Euthanasia Act
New England Journal of Medicine, 2007
Background In 2002, an act regulating the ending of life by a physician at the request of a patient with unbearable suffering came into effect in the Netherlands. In 2005, we performed a follow-up study of euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, and other end-of-life practices. Methods We mailed questionnaires to physicians attending 6860 deaths that were identified from death certificates. The response rate was 77.8%. Results In 2005, of all deaths in the Netherlands, 1.7% were the result of euthanasia and 0.1% were the result of physician-assisted suicide. These percentages were significantly lower than those in 2001, when 2.6% of all deaths resulted from euthanasia and 0.2% from assisted suicide. Of all deaths, 0.4% were the result of the ending of life without an explicit request by the patient. Continuous deep sedation was used in conjunction with possible hastening of death in 7.1% of all deaths in 2005, significantly increased from 5.6% in 2001. In 73.9% of all cases of euthanasia or assisted suicide in 2005, life was ended with the use of neuromuscular relaxants or barbiturates; opioids were used in 16.2% of cases. In 2005, 80.2% of all cases of euthanasia or assisted suicide were reported. Physicians were most likely to report their end-oflife practices if they considered them to be an act of euthanasia or assisted suicide, which was rarely true when opioids were used. Conclusions The Dutch Euthanasia Act was followed by a modest decrease in the rates of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. The decrease may have resulted from the increased application of other end-of-life care interventions, such as palliative sedation.
Euthanasia and Palliative Care In the Netherlands: An Analysis of the Latest Developments
Health Care Analysis, 2004
This article discusses the latest developments regarding euthanasia and palliative care in the Netherlands. On the one hand, a legally codified practice of euthanasia has been established. On the other hand, there has been a strong development of palliative care. The combination of these simultaneous processes seems to be rather unique. This contribution first focuses on these remarkable developments. Subsequently, the analysis concentrates on the question of how these new developments have influenced the ethical debate.