End of life > Euthanasia and assisted suicide

Belgium Analysis: the Mortier case: the ECtHR assessing the Belgian euthanasia law for the first time

Author / Source : L. Vanbellingen Published on : Thematic : End of life / Euthanasia and assisted suicide News Temps de lecture : 5 min.

Analysis: the Mortier case: the ECtHR assessing the Belgian euthanasia law for the first time

This case of Mortier v. Belgium, named after the applicant, the son of the euthanized person, was the first case in which the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) was called upon to assess the compatibility of euthanasiaalready practiced with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Tom Mortier alleged a violation of his mother's right to life, protected by Article 2 of the Convention, and of his right to respect for his private and family life, protected by Article 8 of the...

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Belgium BREAKING NEWS - The Belgian Constitutional Court rejects the appeal relating to the 2020 law on euthanasia

Author / Source : European Institute of Bioethics Published on : Thematic : End of life / Euthanasia and assisted suicide News Temps de lecture : 2 min.

BREAKING NEWS - The Belgian Constitutional Court rejects the appeal relating to the 2020 law on euthanasia

As a reminder, the law passed in 2020 first provides that 'no written or unwritten clause can prevent a doctor from performing euthanasia'. This provision aims to de facto prohibit retirement homes or hospitals whose care project excludes the fact of ending the life of their residents or patients by euthanasia, and which favor accompaniment through palliative care. The applicant citizens, as well as the European Institute of Bioethics, the intervener in the action, considered that such a...

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Belgium Belgium: Euthanasia of New-borns Practiced Outside the Law

Author / Source : European Institute of Bioethics Published on : Thematic : End of life / Euthanasia and assisted suicide News Temps de lecture : 2 min.

Belgium: Euthanasia of New-borns Practiced Outside the Law

In terms of the physician's intentions, the study distinguishes three situations. In the first scenario, the physician does not intend to cause or hasten the baby's death, but considers the potential effect of hastening death (e.g., decision not to administer antibiotics, administration of morphine or sedatives). The second scenario consists in the situation where the potential effect of hastening death is not the primary goal but is partly aimed at by the physician. The third scenario is that...

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Spain The new Spanish law on euthanasia contested against the Constitutional Court a few days before its entry into force

Author / Source : European Institute of Bioethics Published on : Thematic : End of life / Euthanasia and assisted suicide News Temps de lecture : 3 min.

The new Spanish law on euthanasia contested against the Constitutional Court a few days before its entry into force

The law recognizes a new right, the right to euthanasia, which, according to the law, consists in the death of a person caused in a direct and intentional manner after the informed, explicit, and repeated request of that person, in a context of suffering caused by an incurable illness and which is conceived by the person as intolerable. The text of the law tries to ground this new right on other constitutional rights, such as the right to life, the right to physical integrity, the right to hum...

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Belgium Euthanasia in Belgium: Analysis of the 2020 Commission Report

Author / Source : C. du Bus Published on : Thematic : End of life / Euthanasia and assisted suicide News Temps de lecture : 1 min.

Euthanasia in Belgium: Analysis of the 2020 Commission Report

The 2020 Belgium euthanasia data states that 57 people died by euthanasia based on psychiatric disorders and 48 people died by euthanasia based on cognitive disorders (dementia syndromes). Of the 57 deaths based on psychiatric disorders, 17 people had mood disorders (depression, bipolar, ...); 26 people had personality and behavioural disorders (compared to 13 for the previous period); 4 people had neurotic disorders, disorders linked to stressors and 6 somatoform disorders; 7 people had...

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Position of the WORLD MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (WMA) on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide – Chronological overview (1987-2019)

In October 2019, the World Medical Association1 (WMA) adopted a declaration on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. This new declaration is an opportunity to analyze the documents successively adopted by the WMA on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in recent years, and to identify possible evolutions in this area. This Expert Flash reviews each of the relevant documents, and compares the terms used and positions adopted. It emerges that, while terms slightly vary, WMA's position...

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