Almost one in 20 people in northern Belgium died using euthanasia in 2013.

Almost one in 20 people in northern Belgium died using euthanasia in 2013, more than doubling the numbers in six years, a study released Tuesday showed.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, drew upon the records of nearly 4000 doctors in Belgium’s Flanders region.

While a 2007 survey showed only 1.9 percent of deaths from euthanasia in the region, the figure was 4.6 percent in 2013.

Those requesting euthanasia are mainly highly educated and between 65 and 79, the study found. Terminally-ill cancer patients form the biggest group, although cases in all categories are rising. 

“This finding indicates that, after 11 years of experience, euthanasia is increasingly considered as a valid option at the end of life in Belgium”, the authors of the paper concluded.

“Euthanasia has been increasingly accepted by the patients as a valid option at the end of their life. They are increasingly asking for it,” said Ghent University ethics professor Freddy Mortier. “Physicians themselves are more inclined to comply with the wishes of the patients.”

Euthanasia on the rise in Flanders region
Xavier Symons
https://www.bioedge.org/images/2008images/euthanasia_ddgdgrr.jpg
Creative commons
Belgium
end of life
euthanasia