Dutch Euthanasia: Going Up

Dutch euthanasia cases have risen 10% in the last year. From the story:

A total of 2,331 people made official requests for help with killing themselves under euthanasia legislation last year, a 10% increase on 2007, Nos tv reports on Friday.

The figure comes from the annual report published by the five regional euthanasia monitoring committees. In total, 10 cases of assisted suicide were found not to have followed official guidelines and have been referred to the public prosecution department and health inspectorate for their comments, chairman Jan Suyver told Radio 1.

Well, that investigation and six bits will buy you a cup of coffee. Nothing ever meaningful is done to doctors who violate guidelines, including when they kill patients who never asked to be euthanized, known in the parlance as “termination without request or consent.” Remember too that several studies show that about 40% of cases aren’t reported and that doctors sometimes intentionally overdose with morphine rather than formally euthanize with barbiturates and a curare like drug. Remember too that some doctors are now terminally sedating patients, meaning they don’t have to be present for the death or report it, and that “autoeuthanasia,” is also provided by some doctors when their patients don’t qualify for euthanasia. What is autoeuthanasia? A how to commit suicide book. Perhaps Derek Humphry could get a medical license in the Netherlands.