Euthanasia and other end-of-life decisions in the Netherlands in 1990, 1995, and 2001.
Empirical data on the rate of euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, and other end-of-life decisions have greatly contributed to the debate about the role of such practices in modern health care. In the Netherlands, the continuing debate about whether and when physician-assisted dying is acceptable seems to be resulting in a gradual stabilisation of end-of-life practices. We replicated interview and death-certificate studies done in 1990 and 1995 to investigate whether end-of-life practices had altered between 1995 and 2001. Since 1995, the demand for physician-assisted death has not risen among patients and physicians, who seem to have become somewhat more reluctant in their attitude towards this practice.
Onwuteaka-Philipsen
Bregje D
BD
Department of Social Medicine and Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine, Vrije Universitat University Medical Center, van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, Netherlands. b.philipsen.emgo@med.vu.nl <b.philipsen.emgo@med.vu.nl>
van der Heide
Agnes
A
Koper
Dirk
D
Keij-Deerenberg
Ingeborg
I
Rietjens
Judith A C
JA
Rurup
Mette L
ML
Vrakking
Astrid M
AM
Georges
Jean Jacques
JJ
Muller
Martien T
MT
van der Wal
Gerrit
G
van der Maas
Paul J
PJ
D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001293:Attitude to Death; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002423:Cause of Death; D003644:Death Certificates; D003657:Decision Making; D005065:Euthanasia / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology; D012297:Right to Die; D017236:Suicide, Assisted / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires