The medical practice of euthanasia in Belgium and the Netherlands: Legal notification, control and evaluation procedures
Abstract
Objectives To describe and compare current legal procedures for notifying, controlling and evaluating (NCE-procedures) euthanasia in Belgium and the Netherlands, and to discuss the implications for a safe and controllable euthanasia practice.Methods We systematically studied and compared official documents relating to the Belgian and the Dutch NCE-procedures for euthanasia.Results In both countries, physicians are required to notify their cases to a review Committee, stimulating them to safeguard the quality of their euthanasia practice and to make societal control over the practice of euthanasia possible. However, the procedures in both countries differ. The main differences are that the Dutch notification and control procedures are more elaborate and transparent than the Belgian, and that the Belgian procedures are primarily anonymous, whereas the Dutch are not. Societal evaluation is made in both countries through the Committees' summary reports to Parliament.Conclusions Transparent procedures like the Dutch may better facilitate societal control. Informing physicians about the law and the due care requirements for euthanasia, and systematic feedback about their medical actions are both pivotal to achieving efficient societal control and engendering the level of care needed when performing such far-reaching medical acts.
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The number of cases of euthanasia for psychological suffering in psychiatric patients in Belgium has steadily risen since legalisation.
“In line with a general increase of euthanasia cases, the number of cases of euthanasia for psychological suffering is steadily rising (Chambaere, Vander Stichele, Mortier, Cohen, & Deliens, 2015;Smets et al., 2009).”
From Psychiatric patients requesting euthanasia: Guidelines for sound clinical and ethical decision making (2019) · cites this paper as Smets et al., 2009
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“…and within professional medical bodies, that permitting euthanasia in limited cases (e.g., terminal illness) may gradually lead to less justified applications, and whether safeguards are effectively maintained when euthanasia is extended to non-terminal conditions or psychiatric disorders [39].”
- Authors
- Smets, T., Bilsen, J., Cohen, J., Rurup, M. L., De Keyser, E., & Deliens, L.
- Affiliations
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (BE)
- Amsterdam Public Health (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Smets, Tinne
- Venue
- Health Policy
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2009-05
- Volume
- 90
- Issue
- 2-3
- Pages
- 181-187
- ISSN
- 0168-8510 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2139788293
- Cited by
- 53
- References
- 16
- Citations by year
- 2025: 5 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 4 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 5.28
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Health Policy (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Pure Amsterdam UMC (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Ghent University Academic Bibliography (Ghent University) (submittedVersion)
- Digital Academic REpository of VU University Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) (submittedVersion)
- Amsterdam UMC (VU Amsterdam) - Institutional Repository (submittedVersion)
- VUBIR (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) (submittedVersion)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative and Oncologic Care
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Ethics and bioethics in healthcare
- Keywords
- euthanasia, review committee, physician reporting obligations, transparency, anonymous reporting, Belgium, Netherlands, comparative law
- MeSH terms
- Belgium, Euthanasia, Humans, Netherlands, Practice Patterns, Physicians', Social Control Policies, Program Evaluation, Suicide, Assisted, Government Regulation
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