Related Papers
OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying
Divergent Views and Experiences Regarding ‘Completed Life’ and Euthanasia in the Netherlands
2021 •
Sjaak van der Geest
A small proportion of older people in the Netherlands want to end their lives because they feel their lives to be ‘completed’ and no longer worth living. Currently, there is heated debate over whether or not these people should have the right to euthanasia. Drawing on previous research, we conduct a heuristic analysis of views and experiences of three different ‘parties’ involved in this debate, namely, the older people, their relatives and friends and medical professionals. The views of these three groups tend to be divergent and conflicting, posing a difficult dilemma to decision-makers.
Continuous palliative sedation: determinants, practice and outcome
2017 •
Rogier Van Deijck
Context. Knowledge of determinants that are associated with the administration of continuous palliative sedation (CPS) helps physicians identify patients who are at risk of developing refractory symptoms, thereby enabling proactive care planning. Objectives. This study aims to explore which patient-related factors at admission are associated with receiving CPS later in the terminal phase of life. Methods. A prospective multicenter observational study was performed in six Dutch hospices and three nursing homebased palliative care units. The association between patient-related variables at admission (age, gender, diagnosis, use of opioids or psycholeptics, number of medications, Karnofsky Performance Status scale score, Edmonton Symptom Assessment System distress score, and Glasgow Coma Scale score) and the administration of CPS at the end of life was analyzed. Results. A total of 467 patients died during the study period, of whom 130 received CPS. In univariate analysis, statisticall...
Anthropology & Aging
Thinking About ‘Completed Life’ Euthanasia in the Netherlands from the Generative Perspective: A Reflexive Exploration
2021 •
Sjaak van der Geest
In this reflective essay, we explore the concept of generativity and propose it as a more positive interpretation of the experience of ‘completed life’ and its bearing on the wish to die. In 2010, more than 100,000 people in the Netherlands signed a petition requesting an extension of the existing euthanasia legislation. They asked the government to grant euthanasia to older persons who feel tired of life and who regard their lives as complete, in the absence of physical or psychic sickness. Debates about ‘completed life’ euthanasia have continued since then, but the various factions in these debates have been unable to reach consensus or conclusion. In this paper, we analyse the concept of generativity and use this to interpret statements by supporters of ‘completed life’ euthanasia. Next, we disentangle common idioms that people use when they grow older and feel that death is approaching yet still out of reach. The aim of this article is to invite readers to reflect on the wish fo...
Issues in law & medicine
Dutch court decisions on nonvoluntary euthanasia critically reviewed
1998 •
Henk Jochemsen
The author critically reviews Dutch court decisions on nonvoluntary euthanasia. First, he examines euthanasia practice in the Netherlands. The author next discusses in detail the 1995 cases of two physicians who were prosecuted for terminating the lives of infants who were severely ill and disabled. The courts accepted nonvoluntary euthanasia and relied on the physicians' defense of necessity. Jochemsen exposes serious flaws in the reasoning of the courts and concludes that newborns with congenital disorders should be given appropriate palliative care. Jochemsen fears that by extending the practice of euthanasia to infants with disabilities the Dutch courts have taken another step toward endangering the lives of all incompetent persons.
Journal of Medical Ethics
Voluntary euthanasia under control? Further empirical evidence from The Netherlands
1999 •
Henk Jochemsen
Current Sociology
Negotiating euthanasia: Civil society contesting ‘the completed life’
Bernhard Forchtner
Autonomy and independence have become crucial elements of end-of-life decision making. Opinions on the latter are, however, strongly contested in public discourses. This contribution analyses arguments in favour of and against a Dutch civil society initiative which promotes the extension of the legislation on euthanasia. The authors investigate Dutch newspapers associated with three groups: religious, liberal and humanist perspectives, and do so by utilising quantitative and qualitative elements from a discourse-analytical perspective, raising the following questions: Which stances can be identified? How do different parties position themselves with regard to a ‘completed life’ and a ‘good death’? To what extent do these positions create demarcations between ‘us’ and ‘them’? The authors show that the debate developed along the lines of three key topoi: the topos of autonomy, the topos of human worth and the topos of embeddedness. The authors thereby identify how the different discur...
Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy
Suffering and dying well: on the proper aim of palliative care
2017 •
Govert den Hartogh
Euthanasia policy in the Netherlands: How the Dutch coalition can reach a successful compromise
2021 •
P.W.B. Piet
The euthanasia discussion in the Netherlands has created an impasse within the government. The medical ethical conservative and liberal parties have not been able to find a consensus to agree on a policy. Ethics and principles are strongly involved in the case and thus this makes it hard for the political parties to make compromises. Through utilizing a hybrid form of empirically informed research and theory based research, I assess the situation and develop a consensus that confers to the conditions of a good compromise as proposed by Van Parijs. Additionally, supported by the multiple streams model of Kingdon I identify that there is a window of opportunity to implement the policy. A compromise is possible and in the interest of all the parties involved. I identify a range of aspects to be implemented in the compromise that would require balanced concessions from both sides of the discussion. These factors consider the ethical objections parties could potentially have and should be accepted by the majority of their constituency when framed properly. The conservatives have an interest in agreeing to a compromise as it gives them the ability to leave a strong influence on the euthanasia policy, an influence they would lose if a more liberal government would be formed. A compromise is in the interest of the liberals too as the current Dutch euthanasia policy is relatively conservative. Finally, regardless of ethical stances, the options for Dutch citizens nearing the end of their life are limited. Thus it is of essential importance that the coalition revises the policies additional to euthanasia, such as elder care and palliative care. The government is tasked with caring for the national mental wellbeing and is failing in this aspect. Consequently, it is of utmost importance that the government agrees on a compromise
BMC health services research
Cross-sectional research into counselling for non-physician assisted suicide: who asks for it and what happens?
2014 •
Martijn Hagens
In the Netherlands, people with a wish to die can request physician assistance in dying. However, almost two thirds of the explicit requests do not result in physician assistance in dying. Some people with a wish to end life seek counselling outside the medical context to end their own life. The aim of this cross-sectional research was to obtain information about clients receiving counselling for non-physician assisted suicide, and the characteristics and outcome of the counselling itself. All counsellors working with foundation De Einder (an organisation that offers professional counselling for people with a wish to end life) (N=12) filled in registration forms about all clients they counselled in 2011 and/or 2012. Only client registration data forms with at least one face-to-face contact with the counsellor were selected for analysis (n=595). More than half of the clients were over 65 years old. More than one third of the clients had no wish to end life and 16% had an urgent wish ...
Belgium: Mandatory Referral for Euthanasia
Sean Murphy
As noted previously, if a patient seeking euthanasia asks an objecting physician to send his medical file to another doctor, the Belgian Euthanasia Act requires the objector to do so. However, contrary to assertions made by Prof. van den Endyn, the law does not require more active facilitation of the procedure. The Flemish Palliative Care Federation is silent on the issue of referral, but the joint statement asserts that an objecting physician must not only give patients timely notice of his position, but must “refer the patient to another physician with a different view.” At another point the joint statement insists that an objecting physician “work together” with the patient to find a willing colleague. The experience of the Project is that most conscientious objectors to euthanasia would refuse to do this because they would see it as active and morally culpable collaboration in the act.
