More and more people are calling on a doctor for euthanasia, either active termination of life or assisted suicide. This happens most often in people with cancer.
This is evident from figures from the KNMG doctors’ federation, based on information from Statistics Netherlands and the Regional Euthanasia Review Committees (RTE), among others. For several years in a row, the regional review committees have been confronted with an increase in the number of reports of active termination of life (euthanasia) or assisted suicide. This happened 7,666 times in 2021. That is a significant increase compared to 2020 (6938 reports), 2019 (6361) and 2018 (6126).
According to the KNMG, most cases of euthanasia were performed last year in people with cancer (4684 reports), accumulation of age-related diseases (307 reports), dementia (215), psychiatric disorders (115). Usually at people’s homes, or in a hospice, nursing home, care home or hospital. This is often done by a general practitioner or geriatric specialist.
Euthanasia for medical reasons
The Regional Euthanasia Review Committees assess whether the doctors have complied with all legal due care requirements for medical reasons when performing euthanasia. In euthanasia, a doctor gives the patient a deadly drug. In assisted suicide, the doctor gives the patient a lethal drug, but the patient takes it himself. Euthanasia is really different from palliative sedation, where someone is put to sleep with the aim of alleviating suffering and then slowly sinks in.
Euthanasia is punishable by law, but may be applied under strict conditions, after medical and legal assessment, for example when there is hopeless and unbearable physical or psychological suffering. Euthanasia is only allowed if the patient asks for it.
A doctor who has performed euthanasia must always report this immediately to the municipal coroner. This is a doctor investigating the cause of death. The euthanasia notification is then always sent to the RTE for review. Such a review committee can in turn submit the case to the Public Prosecution Service if the euthanasia has not been carried out in accordance with the legal regulations. That happens quite rarely, by the way.
Done with life
There are also many people who have a death wish, because according to them, for whatever reason, life is finished (completed). This concerns approximately 10,000 Dutch people aged 55 and older who want to end their lives themselves or with help, according to scientific research by ZonMw (organization for health care and innovation). The Rutte IV cabinet would like to know more about people with a ‘death wish upon completion of life’. They are not eligible for euthanasia under the law, because their suffering has no medical cause.
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