Family of Belgian euthanasia victim loses court battle
To the relief of Belgian doctors, a court has dismissed a civil lawsuit against the doctor who euthanised Tine Nys, a 38-year-old woman, in 2010....
Belgian 16-year-old girl is euthanised and donates organs
Minors can legally be euthanised in Belgium. But there have only been four cases. The latest is an unnamed 16-year-old girl with a brain tumour...
French experts reject euthanasia proposal
Six French philosophers, doctors and psychologists have published an open letter in L’Obs, a leading weekly news magazine, expressing their concerns about proposals for legalizing...
Danish ethicists advise their government not to legalise euthanasia
The Danish Council on Ethics has advised Denmark’s parliament against legalising euthanasia. A report endorsed by 16 of the council’s 17 members concluded that it...
Belgian Catholic bishop backs euthanasia
The position of the Catholic Church on euthanasia is well-known: it is staunchly opposed to it. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, published in 1992,...
Spanish pets must be offered alternatives to euthanasia
In a significant development for animal welfare in Spain, legislation aimed at curbing the mistreatment and abandonment of animals officially took effect last month, as...
Queensland widower dies after taking assisted suicide drugs ordered by his wife
“Move along, please. Nothing to see here.” This was more or less the reaction of supporters of “voluntary assisted dying” after the first significant report...
Australian first: nurse donates organs after euthanasia
A Victorian woman has become the first Australian to combine death by euthanasia with organ donation. Ballarat nurse Marlene Bevern, 66, had an aggressive form...
Canadian study hints at crushing institutional conscience objections to ‘assisted dying’
Supporters of “voluntary assisted dying” fought hard to achieve legalisation in various jurisdictions around the world. After legalisation, however, battles still remain to be fought....
Euthanasia nurses in Belgium smother patient when lethal drugs fail to work
Alexina Wattiez wasn’t supposed to die like this. The 36-year-old Belgian woman was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2021. She deteriorated rapidly and was in...
Toronto’s MAiDHouse: a pleasant place to pass
An interesting aspect of the normalization of euthanasia in Canada is the MAIDHouse. People who want to access MAiD, Canada’s acronym for medical assistance in...
Assisted suicide laws in US must be less discriminatory, say bioethicists
California, like other American states, permits assisted suicide, but not euthanasia, and not assisted assisted suicide. Patients who want to die must administer the lethal...