Friday, January 28, 2011, 11:32 AM
Wesley J. Smith
The Netherlands is a lovely country where many people have eschewed true compassion–the root meaning of which is to “suffer with”–to promote suicide as the answer to human difficulty. Euthanasia is available via lethal injection for the terminally ill, the chronically ill, people with serious disabilities, and the despairing who are not physically sick. Infanticide is illegal, but allowed. Non voluntary mercy killing by doctors is a routine event, with several a day according to studies. The Dutch Supreme Court approved assisted suicide for a woman who wanted to be buried between her two dead children.One would think that would at last be enough “compassionate” killing, thank you very much. Nope. Once a culture embraces this brand of nihilism, the appetite for suicide-as-the-answer is never satiated. Now, some Dutch suicide activists–can you imagine?–are setting up a clinic for those whose doctors won’t make them dead. From Bioedge:
The Dutch voluntary euthanasia society (NVVE) is planning to open an eight-person clinic in 2012 where people can go to end their lives. It estimates that about 1,000 people a year would take advantage of its facilities. It would cater for people whose doctors have refused to euthanase them. Not only people with an incurable illness, but also people with chronic psychiatric conditions and dementia would be welcome.Some Dutch doctors are already in the business, compassionately giving their suicidal patients a how to do it yourself guide if they won’t do the deed themselves. They even gave it a name: Autoeuthanasia.
The Dutch like to think of themselves as enlightened leaders of society into modern ways. I worry they are right. Culture of death, Wesley? What culture of death?
10 comments:
"Infanticide is illegal, but allowed"
???????
Basically it is a law on the books but never punished.
Really? Please give an example of infanticide occurring in the Netherlands and not being punished.
http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/297
Under Dutch law doctors performing euthanasia have to report every case to the ministry of Justice. In all, 22 cases of euthanasia on newborns have been reported to the Justice Ministry since the euthanasia bill was voted in 1997. However, there never were any prosecutions as the judicial authorities decided to dismiss all 22 cases despite the fact that they are illegal. It is, nevertheless, assumed that many doctors do not report cases of euthanasia on newborns for fear of prosecution.
According to the article you cite Susie, the rules have changed. Euthansia is allowed in severe cases for newborns. The reporting requirements have changed for that as well as late term abortions:
"The Dutch newspaper NRC-Handelsblad wrote earlier this week that ministers Donner and Ross have decided that euthanasia of newborns as well as abortions of foetuses older than 24 weeks (which under Dutch law are illegal) no longer need to be reported to the Justice Ministry. Instead doctors will be required to report to a commission consisting of a paediatrician, a gynecologist and a lawyer. It is assumed that doctors will be more inclined to report euthanasia of “babies that are so ill that their suffering is unbearable and hopeless and that do not die of their own accord” to a commission of colleagues than to the judiciary.
The same rule will apply to abortions beyond the legal limit of 24 weeks"
the article states that euthanasia of newborns is still illegal. As the article states docs were required to report cases but none of them were prosecuted. Although docs mostly failed to report fearing prosecution. the rules to report have changed but it does not state that the law changed making infanticide legal.
Further in the same article...
Under Dutch law doctors performing euthanasia have to report every case to the ministry of Justice. In all, 22 cases of euthanasia on newborns have been reported to the Justice Ministry since the euthanasia bill was voted in 1997. However, there never were any prosecutions as the judicial authorities decided to dismiss all 22 cases despite the fact that they are illegal. It is, nevertheless, assumed that many doctors do not report cases of euthanasia on newborns for fear of prosecution.
Looks like they are close to changing the laws but Smith assertion that illegal on the books but not enforced to be accurate.
The Netherlands Euthanasia: Legal since 2001
Physician-Assisted Suicide: Legal since 2001 "Two physicians practicing in the Netherlands, the very heart of civilized Europe, this spring published in The New England Journal of Medicine a set of guidelines for what they called infant 'euthanasia.' The authors named their guidelines the Groningen protocol, after the city where they work. One of the physicians, Dr. Eduard Verhagen, has admitted to presiding over the killing of four babies in the last three years, by means of a lethal intravenous drip of morphine and midazolam (a sleeping agent). While Verhagen's actions were illegal under Dutch law, he hasn't been prosecuted for them; and if his guidelines were to be accepted, they could establish a legal basis for his death-administering work."
From the article Susie. Read much?
"The Dutch minister of Justice, Piet-Hein Donner, and his colleague of the ministry of Health, Clémence Ross, both Christian-Democrats, have agreed to apply the so-called “Groningen Protocol” throughout the country.
Last November, the Groningen Academic Hospital decided to administer lethal doses of sedatives to terminally ill newborns......The guideline accepted by the hospital in Groningen last year states that euthanasia is allowed when the child’s medical team and independent doctors agree the pain cannot be eased and there is no prospect for improvement, and when parents think it is best."
You need to correct your post.
My mother was euthanized by omission in a New Jersey Hospital. Was it legal? Of course not, but it was done anyway. She had dementia and was all alone in a hospital far away from home. She was sent to this hospital to adjust her medication. My mother did not fit the bell curve but was given a cocktail containing large amounts of pyschotropic drugs after which she became semi vegetative. No feeding tube or catheter, but instead the idea was put the tray in front of her and if she ate fine, if not well what can we do. She died from starvation and dehydration within 5 days. When questioned, the answer I received from these wonderful medical professionals was “Well after-all she was 93″. Oh and this was not the Netherlands, it happened right here in the good ole USA. Don’t kid yourself to what is really going on.
Anonymous, so you are telling us that the hospital has admitted to not providing you mother with food or water and there was no request from her or her designate that this was her wish? What are you doing about that?
And just to be clear, that is not what we are talking about happening in the Netherlands. Euthanasia is not about neglect or acting against people's wishes.
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