The aim of our study was to describe trends in opioid use and perceptions of having hastened the end of life of a patient. In 2005, a questionnaire was sent to 6860 physicians in The Netherlands who had attended a death. The response rate was 78%. In…
Clinicians frequently worry that medications used to treat pain and suffering at the end of life might also hasten death. Intentionally hastening death, or euthanasia, is neither legal nor ethically appropriate in children. In this article, we…
In February 2014 the Belgian parliament voted to extend the existing euthanasia law to cover children under the age of 18. The law sanctions euthanasia for children with terminal or incurable conditions who are near death, suffering 'constant and…
The legal position of the child as a vulnerable individual requires us as a society to treat them with special consideration in regard to the sanctity of life. In UK law, euthanasia is currently illegal, although there are some moves afoot to have…
The authors have undertaken a study to explore the views in non-Western cultures about ending the lives of newborns with genetic defects. This study consists of including active euthanasia alongside withdrawal and withholding of treatment as…
BACKGROUND: In the terminal stages of neuro-metabolic diseases, parents can begin to experience a sense of loss even before the child dies, and might accept death prematurely. CASES: A 2.5-year-old female patient with Sandoff Disease (diagnosed at 9…
In the complex patient—doctor relationship, the principle of personal autonomy has gradually acquired more weight against medical paternalism, both in clinical practice and in bioethical thinking. 1 In many countries, this change has been…
The Supreme Court decision in Carter v. Canada (2015) has led to changes to the Canadian Criminal Code, such that physician-assisted death is now a legal option for consenting adult patients who have a 'grievous and irremediable medical condition'…
Medical assistance in dying (MAID) legislation in Canada followed much deliberation after the Supreme Court of Canada's ruling in Carter v. Canada Included in this deliberation was the Special Joint Committee on Physician Assisted Dying's…
In pediatric settings, the concept of hope is frequently positioned as a fundamental aspect of care and at odds with the possibility and proximity of death. This arguably fosters silence about death and dying in childhood despite evidence indicating…
The 2002 Dutch Euthanasia law applies to patients aged 12 years and older. Developments in end-of-life care and decision-making in the last decade have sparked the debate about usefulness and necessity to extend euthanasia to include children under…
Organ donation after euthanasia has been performed more than 70 times in Belgium and the Netherlands combined (personal communication, Jan Bollen, 2018). These two countries allow for euthanasia in minors as well, while Luxembourg, Colombia and…
Background The Dutch Euthanasia Act applies to patients 12 years and older, which makes euthanasia for minors younger than 12 legally impossible. The issue under discussion specifically regards the capacity of minors to request euthanasia. Objective…
Importance: Attitudes toward end-of-life decision-making in neonatology have been studied in physicians and other health care professionals and are mostly shaped by their clinical education and work experiences. In contrast, attitudes among the…
