Book Review: Lessons from the Netherlands

Description: [of the article from euthanewsia's posterous]

Nan Maitland reviews Frances Norwood's "The Maintenance Of Life", subtitled "Preventing Social Death Through Euthanasia Talk and End-of-life Care: Lessons from the Netherlands."

Maitland says: This clear and beautifully written book is the result of a 3 year study by Frances Norwood, an American anthropologist, who moved to The Netherlands and learned the Dutch language in order to undertake it. A key theme of her book is that the Dutch laws on euthanasia enable people to talk about the possibility of ending their lives legally, even though most of them will never actually ask for assistance to do so. The fact that this "euthanasia talk" happens - with doctors, family and friends - has a palliative effect, she believes, and this in itself helps to affirm social bonds, and prevent or allay social death.

Maitland concludes: For me, this is another strong argument for a change of the law in this country. Imagine having the right to choose to die physically before social losses have turned into social death — or at least to more closely coincide the timing of the two. The fact that people in the Netherlands can and do frequently take part in "euthanasia talk" with their doctors and families, the fact that they can legally choose the path they want to take is - to me, something to be envied and fought for.

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

Links:

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.)

  • http://tinyurl.com/23js2ww

  • http://euthanewsia.posterous.com/book-review-the-maintenance-of-life-reviewed

    Also see:

  • Annual Reports of Dutch Euthanasia Review Committee Reviewed [World Federation of Right to Die Societies]
    http://worldrtd.net/node/1026

    August 29, 2010: In Medisch Contact 65, nr. 33-34/1612-1615 (the weekly NewsMagazine of the Royal Dutch Medical Association, KNMG) two senior policy advisors of the KNMG (Gert van Dijk and Eric van Wijlick) published the results of their review and analyis of the three most recent Annual Reports of the Euthanasia Review Committee (2007/2008/2009).

    They generally conclude that Dutch doctors do perform euthanasia in a very careful way: since the installation of the Committees in 1998, 23.268 reported cases were reviewed, of which only 50 labelled as "not careful". Going deeper into the figures of the last three years, the cases that did not comply with the due care criteria of the law (22 out of 7487 reported cases: less then 0,3%) can be categorised …:    [In summary, 2 cases were found not to be unbearable suffering, 8 cases were found not to have fully independent consultation, 9 cases of poor execution of the euthanasia and one case of not discussing alternatives with the patient.

    Of the 9 cases in 2009, the Public Prosecutor found that none should be prosecuted.]

Source:

Maitland, Nan. "Book Review: The Maintenance of Life reviewed by Nan Maitland". euthanewsia's posterous. Accessed Wednesday, September 1, 2010. <euthanewsia.posterous.com/book-review-the-maintenance-of-life-reviewed>. www.euthanewsia.ca

Tags:

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

  • euthanasia

  • palliative care

  • end-of-life care

  • Netherlands

Notes:

  • Philip Nitschke: Upcoming North American Public Meetings [Medical Futility Blog]
    http://medicalfutility.blogspot.com/2010/09/philip-nitschke-upcoming-north-american.html

    Professor Thaddeus Pope reproduces the Exit International schedule of Exit International Meetings and Safe Suicide Workshops. Some highlights:

    Vancouver, Thursday 7 October
    Toronto, Wednesday 13 October
    New York, Wednesday 20 October
    Orlando, Saturday 23 October
    San Francisco, Friday 5 November

ID:

The EuthaNEWSia ID for this advisory is: enid201009010327.
Mailed: Wednesday, September 1, 2010 14:15:29 -0600
at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Etcetera:

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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