Published 9 June 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b2319
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b2319

News

Only doctors can carry out euthanasia in the Netherlands, ruling confirms

Tony Sheldon

1 Utrecht

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The chairman of a Dutch suicide support group has been given a prison sentence and his organisation fined in a test ruling that highlights that doctors alone can assist suicide in the Netherlands.

Gerard Schellekens, of the Foundation for a Voluntary Life (SVL), helped an 80 year old woman, who was bedridden with advanced Parkinson’s disease commit suicide after the GP at her nursing home refused euthanasia.

The family of Mrs Co de Jong had contacted Mr Schellekens for help after her doctor judged that she was not suffering hopelessly and unbearably—requirements for euthanasia under Dutch law.

The prosecution said that in 2007, 72 year old Mr Schellekens, whom it referred to in court as Dr Death, helped the woman’s suicide by providing her with the barbiturate pentobarbital. She died at her nursing home in Almelo, in the east of the Netherlands, after taking the drug. Mr Schellekens argued that . . . [Full text of this article]


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