EuthaNEWSia (www.euthanewsia.ca)

The EXIT blog explains some background to a story now appearing in the media. The story was covered in the May 19th EuthaNEWSia Belgium: Euthanasia and the use of end-of-life drugs without explicit request, and concerns two studies published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The substance of the story is being widely misrepresented.

The evidence of studies in several countries suggests that legislation to allow euthanasia does not affect the number of cases significantly - it just makes them more open and transparent. This has never deterred panic-mongers, who spin data to create a climate of fear in attempt to maintain its illegal status. A recent study in Belgium, where assistance in dying is legal, has been distorted by groups opposing legal reform.

EXIT explains: In the UK (and many countries that outlaw assistance at the end of life), there is a war of words over practices that are fiercely pushed into one classification or the other. Do UK hospices ever perform ‘euthanasia’? Of course not! (hands up in horror!) But they perform exactly the same actions that Belgian nurses are being pilloried for in the popular press.

The conclusion: Say the authors of the study: "Opponents of euthanasia often argue that legalizing the procedure will lead to a rise in the use of life-ending drugs without a patient's explicit request, especially in vulnerable patient groups. Thus far, however, no indications of this have been found in studies of physician-assisted deaths before and after legalization in Belgium and the Netherlands. In Belgium, the percentage of deaths in which life-ending drugs were used remained stable, and the proportion without an explicit request from the patient decreased."

The concern in Belgium is not over whether an unethical practice has occurred, but over whether nurses do not have appropriate guidelines to cover them legally. ". . . the nurses we surveyed who administered the life-ending drugs did not do so on their own initiative. Although the act was often performed without the physician being present, it was predominantly carried out on the physician's orders and under his or her responsibility." They argue that professional guidelines are needed to help clarify nurses' involvement in these practices lest they get caught in a vulnerable position when following a physician's orders. [Note: there are links to related resources from this page.]

[There are other related stories in the Links section below.]

To read the full article click on one of these links, both of which go to the same destination. A short link is provided for the convenience of readers. Also, readers may search and browse past and future advisories on the web (see bottom.)

"Euthanasia in Belgium: no slippery slope". The EXIT euthanasia blog. Posted on Tuesday, June 15, 2010. <exiteuthanasia.wordpress.com/2010/06/15/euthanasia-in-belgium-no-slippery-slope/>. Exit, 17 Hart Street, Edinburgh EH1 3RN Scotland, United Kingdom.

Tags (or keywords) briefly indicate some major topics of the report.

The EuthaNEWSia ID for this advisory is: enid201006169248.
Mailed: Wednesday, June 16, 2010 14:33:52 -0600
at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

EuthaNEWSia is a free Canadian news advisory service covering end-of-life issues such as right to die, assisted suicide, and euthanasia. EuthaNEWSia is produced by the Right to Die Society of Canada which works toward a good death for all, including open, regulated and equitable access to euthanasia and assisted suicide. The editor is Michael Dawson <editor@euthanewsia.ca>.

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