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June 4, 1997, Vol 277, No. 21 >
ARTICLE | June 4, 1997

Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia in the Netherlands: Title and subTitle BreakLessons From the Dutch FREE

Herbert Hendin, MD; Chris Rutenfrans, PhD; Zbigniew Zylicz, MD
[+] Author Affiliations

Reprints: Herbert Hendin, MD, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 120 Wall St, New York, NY 10005.


JAMA. 1997;277(21):1720-1722. doi:10.1001/jama.1997.03540450076039
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References

For 2 decades, both physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia have been given legal sanction in the Netherlands. In response to domestic and international concern about their policies, the Dutch government appointed a commission that oversaw a study of the practice of physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia in 1990.1 That study, which was largely replicated in a 1995 study, was supported by the Royal Dutch Medical Association with the promise that physicians who participated would receive immunity from prosecution for anything they revealed.

See also p 1705.

In 1996, the investigators published a report of their new findings in Dutch2 and summarized their work in 2 articles in theNew England Journal of Medicine,3,4 which was supported by an editorial in that journal.5 These reports have given a favorable interpretation to what could be seen as evidence of little or no improvement by declaring that since matters have not

REFERENCES

1 +
van der Maas PJ, Van Delden JJM, Pijnenborg L. Euthanasia and Other Medical Decisions Concerning the End of Life . New York, NY: Elsevier Science Inc; 1992;.
2 +
van der Wal G, van der Maas PJ. Euthanasie en Andere Medische Beslissingen Rond het Levenseinde . The Hague, the Netherlands: Staatsuitgeverij, 1996;.
3 +
van der Maas PJ, van der Wal G, Haverkate I, et al.  Euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, and other medical practices involving the end of life in the Netherlands, 1990-1995 . N Engl J Med . 1996;;335:1609-1705.
4 +
van der Wal G, van der Maas PJ, Bosma JM, et. al.  Evaluation of the notification procedure for physician-assisted death in the Netherlands . N Engl J Med . 1996;;335:1706-1711.
5 +
Angell M.  Euthanasia in the Netherlands: good news or bad? N Engl J Med . 1996;;335:1675-1678.
6 +
Gunning K.  Euthanasia . Lancet . 1991;;338:1010.
7 +
Walton J.  The House of Lords on issues of life and death . J R Coll Physicians Lond . 1994;;28:235-236.
8 +
Hendin H. Seduced by Death: Doctors, Patients, and the Dutch Cure . New York, NY: WW Norton & Co Inc; 1996;.
9 +
General Board Royal Dutch Medical Society.  Vision on euthanasia . In: Euthanasia in the Netherlands, 12-26 . Utrecht, the Netherlands: Royal Dutch Medical Association; 1994;.
10 +
Gomez G. Regulating Death: Euthanasia and the Case of the Netherlands . New York, NY: Free Press; 1991;.
11 +
Hendin H.  Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide . N Engl J Med . 1997;;336:1385.
12 +
Keown J.  Euthanasia in the Netherlands: sliding down the slippery slope?  In: Keown J, ed. Euthanasia Examined: Ethical, Clinical, and Legal Perspectives . New York, NY: Cambridge University Press; 1995;.
13 +
Twycross R.  Where there is hope? there is life? a view from the hospice . In: Keown J, ed. Euthanasia Examined: Ethical, Clinial, and Legal Perspectives . New York, NY: Cambridge University Press; 1995;.
14 +
Ten Have H, Kimsma G. Geneeskunde: Tussen Droom en Drama [Medical Science: Between Dream and Drama] . Kampen, the Netherlands: Kok Agora; 1985;.
15 +
Hendin H.  The slippery slope: the Dutch example . Duquesne Law Rev . 1996;;35:427-442.
16 +
 'Death on Request' was first shown in the Netherlands on the Ikon Television Network in 1994. Segment shown in the United States with English voice-over on Prime Time Live on ABC , (December 8) , 1994;.
17 +
Hendin H.  Selling death and dignity . Hastings Cent Rep . 1995;;25:19-23.
18 +
Dorrepaal KL, Aaronson NK, Van Dam FSAM.  Pain experience and pain management among hospitalized cancer patients . Cancer . 1989;;63:593-598.
19 +
Zylicz Z.  The story behind the blank spot . Am J Hospice Palliative Care . (July/August) 1993;:30-32.
20 +
Zylicz Z.  Euthanasia . Lancet . 1991;;338:1150.
21 +
Callahan D, White M.  The legalization of physician-assisted suicide: creating a regulatory Potemkin village . Univ Richmond Law Rev . 1996;;30:1-83.
22 +
British Medical Association Working Party on Euthanasia. Euthanasia . London, England: British Medical Association; 1988;:49.

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Country-Specific Mortality and Growth Failure in Infancy and Yound Children and Association With Material Stature

Use interactive graphics and maps to view and sort country-specific infant and early dhildhood mortality and growth failure data and their association with maternal

1 +
van der Maas PJ, Van Delden JJM, Pijnenborg L. Euthanasia and Other Medical Decisions Concerning the End of Life . New York, NY: Elsevier Science Inc; 1992;.
2 +
van der Wal G, van der Maas PJ. Euthanasie en Andere Medische Beslissingen Rond het Levenseinde . The Hague, the Netherlands: Staatsuitgeverij, 1996;.
3 +
van der Maas PJ, van der Wal G, Haverkate I, et al.  Euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, and other medical practices involving the end of life in the Netherlands, 1990-1995 . N Engl J Med . 1996;;335:1609-1705.
4 +
van der Wal G, van der Maas PJ, Bosma JM, et. al.  Evaluation of the notification procedure for physician-assisted death in the Netherlands . N Engl J Med . 1996;;335:1706-1711.
5 +
Angell M.  Euthanasia in the Netherlands: good news or bad? N Engl J Med . 1996;;335:1675-1678.
6 +
Gunning K.  Euthanasia . Lancet . 1991;;338:1010.
7 +
Walton J.  The House of Lords on issues of life and death . J R Coll Physicians Lond . 1994;;28:235-236.
8 +
Hendin H. Seduced by Death: Doctors, Patients, and the Dutch Cure . New York, NY: WW Norton & Co Inc; 1996;.
9 +
General Board Royal Dutch Medical Society.  Vision on euthanasia . In: Euthanasia in the Netherlands, 12-26 . Utrecht, the Netherlands: Royal Dutch Medical Association; 1994;.
10 +
Gomez G. Regulating Death: Euthanasia and the Case of the Netherlands . New York, NY: Free Press; 1991;.
11 +
Hendin H.  Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide . N Engl J Med . 1997;;336:1385.
12 +
Keown J.  Euthanasia in the Netherlands: sliding down the slippery slope?  In: Keown J, ed. Euthanasia Examined: Ethical, Clinical, and Legal Perspectives . New York, NY: Cambridge University Press; 1995;.
13 +
Twycross R.  Where there is hope? there is life? a view from the hospice . In: Keown J, ed. Euthanasia Examined: Ethical, Clinial, and Legal Perspectives . New York, NY: Cambridge University Press; 1995;.
14 +
Ten Have H, Kimsma G. Geneeskunde: Tussen Droom en Drama [Medical Science: Between Dream and Drama] . Kampen, the Netherlands: Kok Agora; 1985;.
15 +
Hendin H.  The slippery slope: the Dutch example . Duquesne Law Rev . 1996;;35:427-442.
16 +
 'Death on Request' was first shown in the Netherlands on the Ikon Television Network in 1994. Segment shown in the United States with English voice-over on Prime Time Live on ABC , (December 8) , 1994;.
17 +
Hendin H.  Selling death and dignity . Hastings Cent Rep . 1995;;25:19-23.
18 +
Dorrepaal KL, Aaronson NK, Van Dam FSAM.  Pain experience and pain management among hospitalized cancer patients . Cancer . 1989;;63:593-598.
19 +
Zylicz Z.  The story behind the blank spot . Am J Hospice Palliative Care . (July/August) 1993;:30-32.
20 +
Zylicz Z.  Euthanasia . Lancet . 1991;;338:1150.
21 +
Callahan D, White M.  The legalization of physician-assisted suicide: creating a regulatory Potemkin village . Univ Richmond Law Rev . 1996;;30:1-83.
22 +
British Medical Association Working Party on Euthanasia. Euthanasia . London, England: British Medical Association; 1988;:49.

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