Euthanasia for the Elderly: Multiple Geriatric Syndromes and Unbearable Suffering According to Dutch Euthanasia Review Committees

Martin Buijsen

doi:10.1017/S0963180122000652

Euthanasia for the Elderly: Multiple Geriatric Syndromes and Unbearable Suffering According to Dutch Euthanasia Review Committees

Martin Buijsen^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

31 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The public debate on voluntary termination of life by elderly people, which has been an intensely controversial subject in the Netherlands for some time, has centered around the issue of "completed life"in recent years. In 2016, an ad hoc governmental advisory committee concluded that the already existing Euthanasia Act provided sufficient scope to resolve most of the problems related to the issue. Most of the older adults who feel they no longer have anything to look forward to in their lives and who have developed a wish to die as a result would be able to invoke this Act. Partly for this reason, the committee considered broadening the legal options relating to assisted suicide undesirable. Analysis of the assessment practice of the regional euthanasia review committees reveals that the room for interpretation offered by the Euthanasia Act is indeed considerable.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1-8
Number of pages	8
Journal	Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1017/S0963180122000652
Publication status	Published - 12 Dec 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1017/S0963180122000652Licence: CC BY

euthanasia-for-the-elderly-multiple-geriatric-syndromes-and-unbearable-suffering-according-to-dutch-euthanasia-review-committeesFinal published version, 229 KBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

@article{bc21855f503342bbb898c94e43f63dd7,

title = "Euthanasia for the Elderly: Multiple Geriatric Syndromes and Unbearable Suffering According to Dutch Euthanasia Review Committees",

abstract = "The public debate on voluntary termination of life by elderly people, which has been an intensely controversial subject in the Netherlands for some time, has centered around the issue of {"}completed life{"}in recent years. In 2016, an ad hoc governmental advisory committee concluded that the already existing Euthanasia Act provided sufficient scope to resolve most of the problems related to the issue. Most of the older adults who feel they no longer have anything to look forward to in their lives and who have developed a wish to die as a result would be able to invoke this Act. Partly for this reason, the committee considered broadening the legal options relating to assisted suicide undesirable. Analysis of the assessment practice of the regional euthanasia review committees reveals that the room for interpretation offered by the Euthanasia Act is indeed considerable.",

author = "Martin Buijsen",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press.",

year = "2022",

month = dec,

day = "12",

doi = "10.1017/S0963180122000652",

language = "English",

pages = "1--8",

journal = "Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics",

issn = "0963-1801",

publisher = "Cambridge University Press",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Euthanasia for the Elderly

T2 - Multiple Geriatric Syndromes and Unbearable Suffering According to Dutch Euthanasia Review Committees

AU - Buijsen, Martin

PY - 2022/12/12

Y1 - 2022/12/12

N2 - The public debate on voluntary termination of life by elderly people, which has been an intensely controversial subject in the Netherlands for some time, has centered around the issue of "completed life"in recent years. In 2016, an ad hoc governmental advisory committee concluded that the already existing Euthanasia Act provided sufficient scope to resolve most of the problems related to the issue. Most of the older adults who feel they no longer have anything to look forward to in their lives and who have developed a wish to die as a result would be able to invoke this Act. Partly for this reason, the committee considered broadening the legal options relating to assisted suicide undesirable. Analysis of the assessment practice of the regional euthanasia review committees reveals that the room for interpretation offered by the Euthanasia Act is indeed considerable.

AB - The public debate on voluntary termination of life by elderly people, which has been an intensely controversial subject in the Netherlands for some time, has centered around the issue of "completed life"in recent years. In 2016, an ad hoc governmental advisory committee concluded that the already existing Euthanasia Act provided sufficient scope to resolve most of the problems related to the issue. Most of the older adults who feel they no longer have anything to look forward to in their lives and who have developed a wish to die as a result would be able to invoke this Act. Partly for this reason, the committee considered broadening the legal options relating to assisted suicide undesirable. Analysis of the assessment practice of the regional euthanasia review committees reveals that the room for interpretation offered by the Euthanasia Act is indeed considerable.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85144535847&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1017/S0963180122000652

DO - 10.1017/S0963180122000652

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85144535847

SN - 0963-1801

SP - 1

EP - 8

JO - Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics

JF - Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics

ER -

Euthanasia for the Elderly: Multiple Geriatric Syndromes and Unbearable Suffering According to Dutch Euthanasia Review Committees

Abstract

Bibliographical note

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this