Development of palliative care and legalisation of euthanasia: antagonism or synergy?

doi:10.1136/bmj.39497.397257.AD

BMJ 2008;336:864-867 (19 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.39497.397257.AD

Analysis

Development of palliative care and legalisation of euthanasia: antagonism or synergy?

Jan L Bernheim, medical oncologist ¹^,2, Reginald Deschepper, anthropologist ¹, Wim Distelmans, palliative care specialist ¹^,3, Arsène Mullie, palliative care specialist ⁴, Johan Bilsen, health scientist ¹, Luc Deliens, medical sociologist ¹^,5

¹ End of Life Care Research Group, Department of Medical Sociology and Health Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090 Brussels, Belgium, ² Department of Human Ecology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, ³ Department of Palliative Care, Oncological Centre, AZ, Vrije Universiteit Brussel , ⁴ Federation Palliative Care Flanders, Wemmel, Belgium, ⁵ Department of Public and Occupational Health, EMGO Institute, VU University Medical Centre Amsterdam, Netherlands

Correspondence to: J L Bernheim jan.bernheim@vub.ac.be

Debates about euthanasia often polarise opinion, but Jan Bernheimand colleagues describe how in Belgium the two camps grew upside by side to mutual benefit

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

Although palliative care and legalised euthanasia are both basedon the medical and ethical values of patient autonomy and caregiverbeneficence and non-maleficence,¹ they are often viewed as antagonisticcauses. A popular perception, for instance, is that palliativecare is the province of religiously motivated people and theadvocacy of euthanasia that of agnostics or atheists.² ³ TheEuropean Association for Palliative Care has voiced concernsthat legalising euthanasia would be the start of a slipperyslope resulting in harm to vulnerable patients such as elderlyand disabled people and that it would impede the developmentof palliative care by appearing as an alternative.⁴ Data fromthe Netherlands and Belgium, where euthanasia is legal, do notprovide any evidence of a slippery slope.⁵ ⁶ Here, we focuson the effect of the process of legalisation of euthanasia onpalliative care and vice versa by reviewing the published historical,regulatory, and epidemiological evidence . . . [Full text of this article]

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Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

euthanasia and palliative care: not so good: Alvaro Sanz, et al.
bmj.com, 20 Apr 2008 [Full text]
Re: euthanasia and palliative care: not so good: Lesley A M Evans
bmj.com, 21 Apr 2008 [Full text]
The hidden agenda of Euthanasia: Dr Nicholas Herodotou
bmj.com, 21 Apr 2008 [Full text]
The third face of the card: Hector R. Diaz
bmj.com, 22 Apr 2008 [Full text]
No slippery slope?: John C Chambers
bmj.com, 22 Apr 2008 [Full text]
Synergy between Palliative Care and Euthanasia in Belgium: a non-proved hypothesis: Carlos Centeno
bmj.com, 23 Apr 2008 [Full text]
No role for the dying patient`s wishes?: Donald C Aston
bmj.com, 24 Apr 2008 [Full text]
This is not good science: Isabel G Neto
bmj.com, 24 Apr 2008 [Full text]
Can Palliative Care and euthanasia really be developed together? Some thoughts from the UK.: Jane Gibbins, et al.
bmj.com, 24 Apr 2008 [Full text]
Evidence in Support: Isky Gordon
bmj.com, 24 Apr 2008 [Full text]
Evidence of slippery slope, lack of logic and absence of decency: Marta Munzarova
bmj.com, 28 Apr 2008 [Full text]
euthanasia: David J Evans
bmj.com, 29 Apr 2008 [Full text]
unacceptable: jr hunter
bmj.com, 1 May 2008 [Full text]
In Reply to Senteno's 'Synergy between Palliative Care and Euthanasia in Belgium: a non-proved hypothesis: Jan L Bernheim, et al.
bmj.com, 7 May 2008 [Full text]
In reply to Sanz and Del Valle's Euthanasia and palliative care: not so good: Jan L Bernheim, et al.
bmj.com, 2 May 2008 [Full text]
Re: unacceptable: Michael O'Donnell
bmj.com, 2 May 2008 [Full text]
Re: The hidden agenda of Euthanasia: Jan L Bernheim, et al.
bmj.com, 2 May 2008 [Full text]
Authors' replies to four responses: Jan L Bernheim, et al.
bmj.com, 2 May 2008 [Full text]
Re: Can Palliative Care and euthanasia really be developed together? Some thoughts from the UK.: Jan L Bernheim, et al.
bmj.com, 2 May 2008 [Full text]
Facts and figures do not fit in with the �palliative care-euthanasia synergy� philosophy: Marco Maltoni, et al.
bmj.com, 8 May 2008 [Full text]
Re: Evidence of slippery slope, lack of logic and absence of decency: Jan L Bernheim, et al.
bmj.com, 12 May 2008 [Full text]
In reply to Maltoni et al.'s Facts and figures do not fit in with the �palliative care-euthanasia synergy� philosophy: Jan L Bernheim, et al.
bmj.com, 20 May 2008 [Full text]
Re: Euthanasia by David Evans: John C Chambers
bmj.com, 3 Jun 2008 [Full text]
Religiosity and Euthanasia: in reply to Drs Chambers & Evans: Jan L Bernheim, et al.
bmj.com, 25 Jun 2008 [Full text]