Is there a “right” to euthanasia?
Milou de Moor committed suicide after her doctor refused to euthanize her.
When it comes to lawsuits, doctors are extremely gun-shy. Their business is healing people, not lining the pockets of lawyers. That’s why the fall-out from a euthanasia case in the Netherlands may be highly significant.
As you can read in this week’s BioEdge, a family doctor refused to sign off on the euthanasia of a 19-year-old woman suffering from lupus-related depression, so the teenager committed suicide. Her bereaved family believes that she was denied the right to a peaceful death and has brought the case to a disciplinary tribunal.
If the doctor is censured, will this effectively lead to euthanasia on demand in the Netherlands? Rather than fight to have their professional judgement respected, I’ll bet that most doctors will just rubberstamp every request that passes across their desks. It will be interesting which the Dutch respect more: the informed consent of the patient or the informed consent of the doctor.
Michael Cook
What will happen if people can sue to force doctors to euthanize them?
1442799600
euthanasia
euthanasia for children
Netherlands
- How long can you put off seeing the doctor because of lockdowns? - December 3, 2021
- House of Lords debates assisted suicide—again - October 28, 2021
- Spanish government tries to restrict conscientious objection - October 28, 2021
More Stories
Belgian health care boss says euthanasia is the solution to an ageing population
The president of Belgium's biggest health care fund, Christian Mutualities (CM), has called for a radical solution to the problem...
Guidelines on gender related treatment let children down, says major UK report
A long-anticipated review has delivered a savage blow to guidelines for transgender medicine in the United Kingdom. The final report...
Trump plays it safe on abortion
Former president Donald Trump has finally unveiled his policy on abortion, which promises to be an incendiary issue in the...
Vatican reaffirms critique of surrogacy and transgenderism in new document
Earlier this week the Vatican published a 16,000-word document reaffirming Catholic condemnations of a wide range of moral issues, from...
What’s all the fuss about genetic parenthood?
Some bioethicists question the importance of a genetic relationship between parents and children. What matters, they argue is a supportive...
UK lesbian couple swap embryos and carry each other’s child
Another dispatch from the Reproductive Revolution. A lesbian couple in the United Kingdom have successfully given birth to two boys through...