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Paper Abstract: Discussion of the Netherlands as the most euthanasia friendly country in the world. Sanctions of euthanasia in 1975. Its legalization in 2001. Guidelines. Outlines the practice of euthanasia in the Netherlands. Impact of euthanasia's official acceptance on Dutch society. Problems regarding patient consent. Argues that euthanasia is morally reprehensible. Paper Introduction: Euthanasia, or physician-assisted suicide as it is called in the United States, is one of the most divisive issues in medicine. From its proscription in the Hippocratic oath to its concealed practice throughout much of the world, euthanasia has been a sensitive and much discussed topic. In the U.S. the most infamous advocate of euthanasia has been Dr. Jack Kevorkian, and his struggles with the law have reverberated throughout the nation. The Netherlands, however, owns the distinction of being the most euthanasia friendly country in the world. On April 10, 2001 the Dutch Senate enacted the world’s first law legalizing Euthanasia (CNN.com). This paper will outline the practice of Euthanasia as it has been applied in the Netherlands and argue that euthanasia is not only a morally reprehensible form of suicide but also has dangerously corrosive effects on society. Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. While it is difficult to seesomeone suffering, it is much more difficult to know that you are theperson responsible for their death." It is unethical, immoral, andirresponsible to give doctors free reign over whether a patient lives ordies. In 199 , a worried Dutch government commissioned acomprehensive report on euthanasia as it was practiced in the Netherlands.The government commission, headed by Dr. Jan Remmelink, arranged a study inwhich physicians were granted anonymity and immunity from prosecution forinformation divulged in the study. Martin's Press. In the United States, which has a large geographically scatteredpopulation and a free-market based medical system, doctor-patientrelationships are much more sporadic and lack the level of intimacy thatexists in the Netherlands (Humphrey, 1998, pp. This landmark decision set forthexacting standards that are still used today in Holland (Humphrey, 1986,p.176-178). Dutch doctors unanimouslydefied the Germans, deciding "that any concession-especially the first-would be disastrous; the would alter their normal ethics for no-one"(Humphrey, 1986, p.171). Humphry, D. Although Euthanasia was strictly tabooin the rest of the world, as early as 1975 the Dutch government allowed theSociety to establish a "member's aid" service staffed by volunteers. This phenomenon could be due to theNetherlands' small population and its equally small geographic size.Because Holland boasts small homogenous communities and a powerfulgovernment sponsored health system, doctors and patients form relationshipsover many years, or even entire lifetimes. The Netherlands, however, owns the distinction of being themost euthanasia friendly country in the world. During Dr. Postma's trial in 1973, two residents of her townformed the Society for Voluntary Euthanasia. It is significant that even the non-medical communityparticipates in euthanasia in the Netherlands. Doctorsmostly go unpunished due to a doctrine called "force majeure." Thisnecessity doctrine applies because of the conflict between a doctor's dutyto preserve life and their duty not to allow the patient to suffer unduly(Humphry, 1998, p.145). Euthanasia is not restricted to the province of Doctors in Holland,however. Subsequent judicial decisions bolstered euthanasia's practice in theNetherlands. In October of 1971, Dr.Geertruida Postma injected morphine into her mother's veins. Interview with Dr. Darin Buschman, Los Angeles VeteransAdministration Hospital, April 11, 2 1. All these actions are illegal under the Netherlands' criminalcode, but nevertheless they are all sanctioned by the government. (2 ). When the Netherlands were occupied by Hitler's Germany, theGerman leadership wanted to implement their program of exterminating andsterilizing the mentally handicapped, people with birth defects, and, ofcourse, all Jews. Thispaper will outline the practice of Euthanasia as it has been applied in theNetherlands and argue that euthanasia is not only a morally reprehensibleform of suicide but also has dangerously corrosive effects on society. Thesevolunteers act as intermediaries between patients who want to commiteuthanasia and doctors. 145-147). From itsproscription in the Hippocratic oath to its concealed practice throughoutmuch of the world, euthanasia has been a sensitive and much discussedtopic. This defiance continued even after the Germansdispatched approximately one hundred of the most adamant doctors toconcentration camps (p.172). In about 3 percent of these cases, the reason given byphysicians was "the impossibility of treating pain effectively" (374). The practice of euthanasia in Holland must serve as a cautionary talefor any country seriously considering adopting similarly lax standards.This analysis holds true even disregarding any moral issues. Within a few years theorganization became the largest Euthanasia society in the world, adistinction it still holds today. The measure had the approval of over ninety percent of thepopulation in some polls (Herbert, 2 1, p. This is indeed a troubling state ofaffairs, especially given the Netherlands' prominent position as an"enlightened" nation. Doctors from all over the Netherlands signed an open letter tothe minister of justice admitting to having committed the same crime atleast once. Humphry, D. In some cases, the Society distributes self-helpmanuals that direct the patients on the best methods to use (Humphrey,1986, pp.175-176). In half of the MDEL cases, decisions that could have orwere intended to shorten a patient's life were undertaken without theknowledge or the consent of the patient. Ninety-five percent of these MDEL cases involved either withholding ordiscontinuing life-support, or using potentially lethal injections toalleviate pain. REFERENCES Herbert, D. Although in most of these casesdoctors stated that the patient's impaired communication ability led to thedecision, this nevertheless still leaves over five thousand cases in whichphysicians did not consult their patients but administered potentially life-threatening drugs (Uhlman, 1998, p. Uhlman, M.M. Although euthanasia's acceptance and toleration by the Dutchgovernment is well documented, the practice's impact on Dutch society ismuch less certain. (1998) A Different Death, Downers Grove, IL:InterVarsity Press. 121-123). In 1993, the Dutch government adopted euthanasia guidelineswhich stated that doctors would not be prosecuted for euthanasia if theyfollowed the previously mandated rules, even though assisted suicideremained a crime punishable by a maximum of twelve years in jail. "Dutch Law Stokes Death Debate," CNN.com, April 11, 2 1. In the U.S. 233-234). Anything else would beuncivilized. 172). More disturbing for thegovernment, however, was the finding that while over half of all Dutchdoctors admitted to participating in euthanasia, barely sixty percent kepta written record of their euthanasia cases and only 29 percent accuratelyfilled out death certificates for their euthanasia cases. 1). Thesenew guidelines stated that "that a patient must be undergoing irremediableand unbearable suffering, be aware of all other medical options and havesought a second professional opinion" (CNN.com). Please help.' She hadtried to commit suicide, but she didn't succeed" (Humphrey, 1986, p. (1986) The Right to Die: Understanding Euthanasia, NewYork: Harper & Rowe. This lax sentence was indeed significant because theDutch court had ruled that euthanasia was to be considered legal "if thepatient is incurably ill; the patient suffers unbearably; the patient hasrequested the termination of his life; and the termination of the patient'slife is performed by the doctor who treats the patient or in concert withhim" (Larson, 1998, pp. In such a secular society then, it seemsinescapable logic that the progression from physician assisted suicides tothe killing of involuntary patients is not only possible but exceedinglylikely (Torr, 2 , pp. Any humanattempt to interfere in this department can only lead to perilousruination. Larson, E.J. (1998) Freedom to Die: People, Politics, and the Right-to-Die Movement, New York: St. This is exceedingly important because it demonstrates a widespreadpublic notion of acceptable euthanasia practices, something that couldnever occur in the United States. 375). Hence, Dr. Postma'sslap on the wrist was really the first step towards legalized euthanasia inHolland because it demonstrated the judicial system's (and by extension thegovernment's) extreme unwillingness to apply homicide laws to the practiceof euthanasia. Their findings were indeed remarkable.The investigators discovered that 49, deaths each year in theNetherlands involve a medical decision at the end of life (MDEL). Morallyspeaking, it is inconceivably arrogant to believe that man has the right toadminister death. Various authors. Thus, euthanasiain the Netherlands is as much a social as a medical phenomenon. These findings are deeplytroubling to anybody who reveres human life, but somehow the report glossesover them and considers them acceptable. This act of judicial tap-dancing may well havecome to an end with the Senate's landmark decision this year, but itsthirty-year long performance has been exceedingly well documented. In order to advance this heinous doctrine, Germanofficers used many tactics to try and trick Dutch doctors into assistingthem with the implementation of their plans. Death, as it approaches, is anissue that is discussed with the community, including friends, family, anddoctors. Although the first official Dutch gubernatorial sanction ofeuthanasia occurred in 1973, euthanasia's roots in Holland extend back toWorld War II. Torr, J.D. The fact thatDutch physicians oversee at least one thousand cases of "termination of thepatient without explicit request" a year, coupled with the new legislationthat makes it unlikely for renegade doctors to be prosecuted, must beviewed at the very least as deeply troubling. On Tuesday, April 1 2 1the Dutch Senate finally passed a law legalizing Euthanasia by a 46 to 28majority. This was a significant step in thedevelopment of euthanasia in Holland because it demonstrated that from avery early time, the Dutch attitude concerning euthanasia-specifically itsabuse and its proper uses-was well developed even in the 194 's. Outright euthanasia occurred in only 2,3 of all deaths(or roughly 2%). Today, termination of life in the Netherlands occurs in threespecific circumstances: termination of life at the patient's request,physician assisted suicide (usually by prescription of death-inducingdrugs), or, most incredibly, termination of life without a request from thepatient. Euthanasia, or physician-assisted suicide as it is called in theUnited States, is one of the most divisive issues in medicine. At her trial, however, Dr. Postma candidly stated that her mother'sphysical pain was not unbearable but rather "serious." She believed it wasthe mental anguish that her mother was experiencing that called foreuthanasia. This disturbingdishonesty by Dutch physicians was attributed to fear of prosecution,although euthanasia prosecutions are exceedingly rare in the Netherlands(Uhlman, 1998, pp. Euthanasia: Opposing Viewpoints, San Diego:Greenhaven Press. This landmark decisioncapped thirty years of judicial tolerance of euthanasia in Holland, andfurther promulgates the Netherlands as the most euthanasia friendly nationin the world. Last Rights: Assisted Suicide and EuthanasiaDebated, Washington D.C.: Ethics and Public Policy Center. In 1981, the criminal court in Rotterdam set forth tenguidelines for non-criminal aid-in-dying. 373-375). Killing a human being has always been a vicious crime, allowingdoctors to subvert the law as they please can only lead to trouble.Indeed, as Dr. Buschman states, "I would never feel comfortable cold-bloodedly killing another human being. Somehow the Remmerlink Commission did not consider these casesto be morally troublesome, ostensibly because the suffering of thesepatients had become unbearable or they were about to die. Thejustification in the remaining 7 percent of these cases varied from "lowquality of life" to "all treatment was withdrawn but the patient did notdie" (374). On April 1 , 2 1 the DutchSenate enacted the world's first law legalizing Euthanasia (CNN.com). It would seem then, that the Netherlands' experiment with euthanasiahas had mixed results at best. The Netherlands are a casestudy of a secular society where people believe that innocent life is not agift from God and that government and medical authorities can do what theyplease for the good of society. Although the practice is overwhelminglypopular within Holland and, as of this week, legal, there are troublingmoral implications that have never been addressed properly. What the senators wanted,according to Justice Ministry spokesman Wijnand Stevens, was "to takeeuthanasia out of the criminal arena" (CNN.com). The first government sanctioned step towards the practice ofeuthanasia in the Netherlands occurred in 1973. Even more disturbing for the Dutch government was the revelation thatover one thousand euthanasia cases each year occurred without the requestof the patients. Dr. Postma did not meet this criteriabecause she was not her mother's practicing physician. Physician assisted suicide was comparatively uncommon-accounting for only 4 deaths each year. Although Dr. Postma was found guilty by the Dutch court, butshe was only sentenced to a one week suspended sentence and a year ofprobation (172-173). (1998). "Dutch Legalize Euthanasia," CNN.com, November 28,2 . A person's right to life should be as inalienable a right as theirright to free speech, liberty, and justice. Even more troublesome, according to the report other forms ofexpediting a patient's death without their consent are becoming common inthe Netherlands. Dr. Postma'smother had experienced a cerebral hemorrhage, she was partly paralyzed, wasdeaf and had trouble speaking. the most infamous advocate of euthanasia has been Dr.Jack Kevorkian, and his struggles with the law have reverberated throughoutthe nation. Just as God is the only force in the universe that cangive life, so should God be the only force that takes life. Dr. Postma would later recount in trialthat "she had told me 'I want to leave this life. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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