Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-20T04:43:13.333Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Consultant-liaison psychiatrists and euthanasia in the Netherlands

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Frits J. Huyse ,
Willem van Tilburg ,
Ine Klijn  and
Gertie Casteelen
Frits J. Huyse*
Affiliation:
C-L Psychiatric Service, Associate Professor in Psychiatry, Free University, Hospital, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Willem van Tilburg
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Free University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Ine Klijn
Affiliation:
C-L Psychiatric Service, University Hospital, Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Gertie Casteelen
Affiliation:
C-L Psychiatric Service, University Hospital, Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
*
∗Department of C-L Psychiatry, Free University Hospital, De Boelelaan 1117, PO 7075 Box 1071 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

On 30 November 1993 a nine year political debate on euthanasia closed; the first chamber of the Dutch parliament ratified the law on undertaking, including euthanasia regulations. This political step concluded, for the time being at least, a legal, public, political and medical debate, which started in 1973, when a medical doctor was convicted for performing euthanasia on her mother. In a first effort in 1983, parliament failed to legalise euthanasia. In 1989 a new government introduced an initiative to improve the existing law in this regard. As a part of the process, empirical data on the extent of euthanasia in The Netherlands were required. Therefore, the Minister of Justice installed a committee. Its findings have been reported nationally and internationally (van der Maas et al, 1991a, 1991b); about 2,300 euthanasia cases in 1990, being 1.8% of all deaths. These empirical findings reduced the uncertainties about the extent of euthanasia, thereby providing a sound basis for the parliamentary decision-making process. Although by the current law euthanasia and assisted suicide still remain illegal, under strict guidelines for behaviour provided by the Ministry of Justice in November 1990 and distributed among physicians in January 1991, euthanasia can be exempted by the public prosecutor from criminal punishment on the basis of the ‘opportunity’ principle, this being the opportunity for the public prosecutor not to bring all reported crimes to court (Letter of the Minister of Justice to Parliament, 1990).

Type
Briefings
Information
Psychiatric Bulletin , Volume 18 , Issue 8 , August 1994 , pp. 497 - 500
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1994

References

Legemaate, J. (1993) Hulp bij zelfdoding in de psychiatrie: regels en opvattingen. Maandblad Geestelke Volksgezondheid, 7/8, 750–770.Google Scholar
Huyse, F.J. & Hengeveld, M.W. (1989) The development of C/L psychiatry in The Netherlands: its social psychiatric heritage. General Hospital Psychiatry, 11, 9–15.Google Scholar
Huyse, F.J. and members of the ECLW (1991) Consultation-liaison psychiatry: Does it help to get organized? General Hospital Psychiatry, 13, 183–187.Google Scholar
Huyse, F.J. & van Tilburg, W. (1993) Euthanasia policy in The Netherlands: the role of consultation-liaison psychiatrists. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 44, 733–738.Google ScholarPubMed
Maas van der, P.J., Delden van, J.J.M., Pijnenborg, L. & Loomam, C.W.N. (1991a) Euthanasia and other medical decisions concerning the end of life. The Lancet, 338, 669–674.Google Scholar
Maas van der, P.J., Delden van, J.J.M., Pijnenborg, L. (1991b) Medische beslissingen rond het levenseinde. Het onderzoek voor de Commissie Onderzoek Medische Praktijk inzake Euthanasie. SDU Uitgeverij The Hague.Google Scholar
Mayou, R., Huyse, F.J. and the ECLW (1991) Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry in Western Europe. General Hospital Psychiatry, 13, 188–208.Google Scholar
Minister of Justice (1990) Letter of the Minister of Justice to parliament. Tweede Kamer, vergaderjaar 1990–1991. 21 800 VI, nr 23. 015474F ISSN 0921-7371. SDU Uitgeverij The Hague.Google Scholar
Nederlandse Vereniging voor Vrijwillige Euthanasie (Right to Die Society): Proposal for a Euthanasia protocol. Nederlandse Vereniging voor Vrijwillige Euthanasie PO Box 75331. 1070AH Amsterdam.Google Scholar
Netherlands Institute of Mental Health (1994) Mental Health Services in the General Hospital: internal report.Google Scholar
Netherlands Psychiatric Association (1992) Mededelingen bestuur. Nieuws en mededelingen, 86, 2–3.Google Scholar
Royal Dutch Medical Association Utrecht (1993) Medical Decisions Concerning the End of Life: Part III. Serious demented patients. Working paper.Google Scholar
Wal, G. van der, Eijk, J. Th. M. van, Leenen, H.J.J. & Spreeuwenberg, C. (1992a) Euthanasia and assisted suicide. I. How often is it practiced by family doctors in The Netherlands? Family Practice, 9, 130–134.Google ScholarPubMed
Wal, G. van der, Eijk, J. Th. M. van, Leenen, H.J.J. (1992b) Euthanasia and assisted suicide. II. Do Dutch family doctors act prudently? Family Practice, 9, 135–140.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.