There has been overwhelming public support in The Netherlands for proposed changes in the euthanasia law that would let perfectly healthy old people choose to die.
The Dutch Parliament’s plan – making euthanasia available to the over 75s if they undergo six months of counselling and even if they are not ill – is expected to be debated soon.
The Netherlands was the first country in the world to legalise euthanasia in 2002. It is currently only legal for people suffering from terminal illness or unbearable physical or mental suffering with no prospect of improvement.
The proposed tweak to Dutch law comes as the UK is about to vote on legalising assisted dying in England and Wales (29 November), reports The Telegraph.
Assisted dying involves giving patients the means to kill themselves, usually lethal drugs, while euthanasia is carried out by a doctor, usually by lethal injection.
In The Netherlands, both euthanasia and assisted dying are legal, with safeguards including consulting a second physician, which are meant to ensure the decision is voluntary and considered.
In a survey of 20 000 Dutch people, 86% supported legalising euthanasia for healthy people over 75, provided they had consultations with medical professionals first.
The country’s Parliament will shortly debate a “completed life” Bill, which was proposed by D66, an opposition liberal party.
Under its proposals, people over 75 could apply for euthanasia, which would trigger a minimum of six months counselling with an “end of life counsellor”. That period is meant to ensure the decision to die is voluntary and serious.
People lacking the mental fitness to choose euthanasia, such as those with dementia, would not be allowed to apply.
While public opinion is in favour, lawmakers are divided over the proposal, with some wanting the minimum age reduced and others opposing the idea outright.
The Dutch Medical Association has warned that some elderly people wanting to die could be suffering from depression or loneliness, which are problems that could be tackled without euthanasia.
“It seems more likely that it concerns people who need help with living rather than with dying,” the doctors said of the Bill.
The survey, by broadcaster RTL, found that 53% of respondents could imagine choosing euthanasia if they considered their life to be complete; while 44% said there should be no age limit at all, and 39% backed a much younger minimum age of 18 or 25 years old.
More than 9 000 people died by euthanasia or assisted dying in The Netherlands in 2023, which was a 4% increase from 2022 and 5% of all deaths in a country of about 17.8m people, while 66 of those killed were couples who had chosen to die together.
About 90% of them suffered from cancer, heart or lung disease, nervous system problems or a combination of illnesses. In recent years, five people under 30 with autism were euthanised in The Netherlands.
In April last year, the Dutch government announced it would widen its “right to die” laws to include terminally ill children between one and 12 years old.
‘Slippery slope’ in Britain
Rising numbers of euthanasia cases in The Netherlands, and other countries like Canada and Belgium, have raised concerns that legalising assisted dying in the UK could be a “slippery slope”.
“When it comes to euthanasia, the slippery slope is not hypothetical,” said Robert Clarke, who was lead counsel on a case against Belgium’s euthanasia laws at the European Court of Human Rights.
Earlier this year, the director at legal advocacy organisation ADF International said: “We see two things happen in every jurisdiction that has gone down this road. The numbers go up almost every single year. And there is pressure to expand the qualifying conditions.”
In England and Wales, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would make it legal for over-18s who are terminally ill to be given assistance to end their own life. A similar Bill is being debated in Scotland.
Under the Bill, a doctor must prepare the lethal substance but the person must take it.
The person must be expected to die within six months and be deemed to have expressed a clear, settled, informed and independent wish to die. Two independent doctors must be satisfied the person is eligible.
A High Court judge must hear from one of the doctors and can question the dying person under the Bill.
Almost half (46%) of the UK public support the legalisation of assisted dying for non-terminal diseases, compared with just one in five (20%) who oppose.
A recent survey found 50% of people supported assisted dying for patients with degenerative diseases with a longer life expectancy than the currently proposed six-month period, while 61% of were concerned terminally ill patients might be pressured to end their life prematurely, if the legislation were passed.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Netherlands court rules on euthanasia for dementia patients
Netherlands euthanasia doctor may face criminal charges