Restricted accessOtherFirst published online 2013-12
Adherence to the Request Criterion in Jurisdictions Where Assisted Dying is Lawful? A Review of the Criteria and Evidence in the Netherlands,Belgium,Oregon,and Switzerland
Some form of assisted dying is also lawful in Luxembourg, Montana, Washington State, and Colombia. However, there is insufficient evidence to include these jurisdictions in our review.
2.
Given the variation in the legal regimes, not all the headings are used for all the jurisdictions.
3.
On this issue, see LewisP., “The Empirical Slippery Slope from Voluntary to Non Voluntary Euthanasia,”Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics35, no. 1 (2007): 197–210.
4.
The Royal Society of Canada Expert Panel, End-of-Life Decision Making (Ottawa, The Royal Society of Canada, 2011): 63–68;.
5.
BartelsL.OtlowskiM., “A Right to Die? Euthanasia and the Law in Australia,”Journal of Law and Medicine17, no. 4 (2010): 532–555, at 554.
6.
Penal Code (Netherlands) 1881, Arts. 293, 294.
7.
Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide (Review Procedures) Act, 2001 [Euthanasia Act (Netherlands) 2001].
8.
Id., at Article 2(1).
9.
Koninklijke Nederlandse Maatschappij ter Bevordering van de Geneeskunst [Royal Dutch Medical Association] (KNMG), Standpunt Federatiebestuur KNMG inzake euthanasie [Position of the Federal Board of the KNMG concerning euthanasia] (2003): Para 5.1.1;
10.
Nederlandse Vereniging voor Psychiatrie [Dutch Association for Psychiatry] (NVP), Richtlijn omgaan met het verzoek om hulp bij zelfdoding door patiënten met een psychiatrische stoornis [Guideline on requests for assisted suicide by patients with psychiatric disorders] (2009): At para 5.
11.
GriffithsJ.BoodA.WeyersH., Euthanasia and Law in the Netherlands (Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 1998): At 86.
12.
Id., at 85–86.
13.
See Euthanasia Act (Netherlands) 2001, supra note 5, at Article 2(2).
14.
Id., at Article 2(3).
15.
Id., at Article 2(4).
16.
See Euthanasia Act (Belgium) 2002, at Article 3§1.
17.
Id.
18.
Id., at Article 3§2(1).
19.
Id., at Article 3§4.
20.
Id.
21.
Id.
22.
Id., at Article 4§1.
23.
Id.;.
24.
LewisP., “Euthanasia in Belgium Five Years after Legalisation,”European Journal of Health Law16, no. 2 (2009): 125–138.
25.
Euthanasia Act (Belgium) 2002, at Article 4§1.
26.
Id.
27.
Id.
28.
Id.
29.
The Oregon Death With Dignity Act, Oregon Revised Statutes 127.800–127.995 (1999), 127.880 §3.14 states that “[a]ctions taken in accordance with ORS 127.800 to 127.897 shall not, for any purpose, constitute suicide, assisted suicide, mercy killing or homicide, under the law.” Therefore, the term physician assisted dying (PAD) is used to refer to lawful conduct under the DWDA.
30.
Id., at 127.800 §1.01(3).
31.
Id., at 127.840 §3.06.
32.
Id., at 127.840 §3.06.
33.
Id.
34.
Id., at 127.810 §2.02(1).
35.
Id., at 127.850 §3.08.
36.
Id., at 127.800 §1.01(7).
37.
Id., at 127.830 §3.04.
38.
Id., at 127.845 §3.07.
39.
Id.
40.
Penal Code (Switzerland), at Article 115.
41.
BosshardG., “Switzerland,” in GriffithsJ.WeyersH.AdamsM., eds., Euthanasia and Law in Europe (Oxford, Portland (OR): Hart, 2008): At 471–472;.
42.
GuillodO.SchmidtA., “Assisted Suicide under Swiss Law,”European Journal of Health Law12, no. 1 (2005): 25–38, at 30.
43.
Id., at 31.
44.
Id., at 30.
45.
The term assisted suicide or physician assisted suicide (PAS) is the legally accurate term for facilitated self-killing in The Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland. This usage is relatively unproblematic in Europe.
46.
Loi fédérale sur les stupéfiants et les substances psychotropes du 3 octobre 1951 [Federal Narcotics Act 1951];
47.
Loi fédérale sur les médicaments et les dispositifs médicaux du 15 décembre 2000 [Therapeutic Products Act 2000].
48.
See Bosshard, supra note 37, at 473;.
49.
Zurich Case Entscheid der 3 Kammer VB Nr 99.00145 (1999) (Verwaltungsgericht des Kantons Zürich [Zurich Administrative Court]);
50.
Aargau Case Entscheid BE 2003.00354–K3 (2005) (Verwaltungsgericht des Kantons Aargau [Aargau Administrative Court]).
SobelJ., “Capacité de discernement et demande d'assistance au suicide,” [“Decisional capacity and requests for suicide assistance”]Bioethica Forum2, no. 1 (2009): 29–30, at 30.
BlackI., “Suicide Assistance for Mentally Disordered Individuals in Switzerland and the State's Positive Obligation to Facilitate Dignified Suicide: Haas c. Suisse, Cour europeenne des droits de l'homme, 1re section [European Court of Human Rights, 1st Section] (20 janvier 2011) (Unreported),”Medical Law Review20, no. 1 (2012): 157–166.
55.
see Bosshard, supra note 37, at 473.
56.
RurupM. L.SmetsT.CohenJ.BilsenJ.Onwuteaka-PhilipsenB. D.DeliensL., “The First Five Years of Euthanasia Legislation in Belgium and The Netherlands: Description and Comparison of Cases,”Palliative Medicine26, no. 1 (2012): 43–49, at Table 1.
57.
van WijlickE. H. J.van DijkG., “Zorgvuldige Euthanasie,” [“Careful Euthanasia,”Medisch Contact [Medical Contact]65, nos. 33/34 (2010): 1612–1615, at 1615.
58.
van der HeideA.LegemaateJ.Ontwuteaka-PhilipsenB.BoltE.BoltI.van DeldenH.GeijtemanM.SnijdewindM.van TolD.WillemsD., Tweede evaluatie Wet toetsing levensbeëindiging op verzoek en hulp bij zelfdoding [Second evaluation of the Euthanasia Law] (Den Haag: ZonMW, 2012): Tabel 8.10.
59.
See Rurup, supra note 46, at Table 1.
60.
ChambaereK.BilsenJ.CohenJ.Onwuteaka-PhilipsenB. D.MortierF.DeliensL., “Trends in Medical End-of-Life Decision Making in Flanders, Belgium 1998-2001-2007,”Medical Decision Making31, no. 3 (2011): 500–510, at table 4, table 1;.
61.
ChambaereK.RietjensJ. A.SmetsT.BilsenJ.DeschepperR.PasmanH. R. W.DeliensL., “Age-Based Disparities in End-of-Life Decisions in Belgium: A Population-Based Death Certificate Survey,”BMC Public Health12, no. 1 (2012): 447–456, at Table 4 and 451.
In Switzerland, suicide assistance must be notified as unnatural death to the local police and coroner. There is no national body to which assisted suicides must be reported: BosshardG.UlrichE.BarW., “748 Cases of Suicide Assisted by a Swiss Right-to-Die Organisation,”Swiss Medical Weekly133, nos. 21–22 (2003): 310–317, at 311. Therefore, no national reporting data is available.
64.
See Rurup, supra note 46, at Table 1.
65.
de BoerM. E.DroesR.-M.JonkerC.EefstingJ. A.HertoghC. M. P. M., “Advance Directives for Euthanasia in Dementia: Do Law-Based Opportunities Lead to More Euthanasia?”Health Policy98, no. 2–3 (2010): 256–262, at 258: 0.7% (3/454) respondent geriatricians in nursing homes.
66.
See, for example, Regional Review Committees Euthanasia, Jaarverslag 2012 [Annual Report 2012] (2013), casus 4.
67.
The judgment is published on the RRCs' website <http://www.euthanasiecommissie.nl>: 60–69 jarig vrouw 2011 123821 (Regionale toetsingscommissie euthanasie) and as casus 7 in Regional Review Committees Euthanasia, Jaarverslag 2011 [Annual Report 2011] (2012). It is also summarized in SheldonT., “Dementia Patient's Euthanasia Was Lawful, Say Dutch Authorities,”BMJ343, (2011): d7510, at 1. It does not appear in the English language version of the RRCs' annual report.
68.
RurupM. L.Onwuteaka-PhilipsenB. D.van der HeideA.van der WalG.van der MaasP. J., “Physicians' Experiences with Demented Patients with Advance Euthanasia Directives in the Netherlands,”Journal of American Geriatrics Society53, no. 7 (2005): 1138–44, at Table 1 (n=410, weighted percentage).
69.
See de Boer, supra note 54, at 258. In the 2010 annual report of the RRCs, 25 patients with dementia received euthanasia;
70.
all were found competent at that time: Regional Review Committees Euthanasia, Annual Report 2010 (2011). In the 2011 Jaarverslag, supra note 56, at 11, a dementia-syndrome played a role in 49 reported cases. All were judged to have met the requirements of careful practice. All of the patients involved were considered competent.
71.
KNMG, Tijdig spreken over het levenseinde [Timely end of life discussions] (KNMG, 2nd ed, 2012): 19, available at <www.knmg.nl/spreken-over-levenseinde> (last visited October 22, 2013).
On this “personal identity problem” and advance decision-making at the end of life, see LewisP., “Medical Treatment of Dementia Patients at the End of Life: Can the Law Accommodate the Personal Identity and Welfare Problems,”European Journal of Health Law13, no. 3 (2006): 219–234.
74.
van WijlickE.KrusemanA. N., “Geen communicatie, geen euthanasie – reactie KNMG,” [“No communication, no euthanasia – reaction of the KNMG,”] Medisch Contact [Medical Contact]67, no. 10 (2012): 586–587, at 587.
75.
See, for example, the finding of the RRCs in 2009 that such a case involving no current communication had met the legal requirements. Regional Review Committees Euthanasia, Jaarverslag 2009 [Annual Report 2009] (2010) casus 2.
76.
See Zembla, supra note 59.
77.
See Rurup, supra note 46, at Table 1;.
78.
SmetsT.BilsenJ.CohenJ.RurupM. L.DeliensL., “Legal Euthanasia in Belgium: Characteristics of All Reported Euthanasia Cases,”Medical Care48, no. 2 (2010): 187–192 at Table 3.
79.
MeeussenK.Van den BlockL.BossuytN.EchteldM.BilsenJ.DeliensL., “Dealing with Requests for Euthanasia: Interview Study among General Practitioners in Belgium,”Journal of Pain and Symptom Management41, no. 6 (2011): 1060–1072, at Table 2 and Table 3.
80.
Commission fédérale de contrôle et d'évaluation de l'euthanasie, Cinquième rapport aux chambres législatives (2010–2011), [Federal commission for monitoring and evaluation of euthanasia, Fifth report to legislature (2010–2011)] 2012, at 7.
81.
See ODPH, supra note 51, at Table 1.
82.
Oregon Department of Human Services, Thirteenth Annual Report on Oregon's Death with Dignity Act (2011), at 2.
83.
van der HeideA.Brinkman-StoppelenburgA.van DeldenH.Onwuteaka-PhilipsenB., Euthanasie en andere medische beslissingen rond het levenseinde: Sterfgevallenonderzoek 2010 [Euthanasia and other medical decisions at the end of life: Death certificate study 2010] (Den Haag: ZonMw, 2012): At Tabel 2.6.
84.
Jansen-Van der WeideM. C.Onwuteaka-PhilipsenB. D.van der WalG., “Granted, Undecided, Withdrawn, and Refused Requests for Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide,”Archives of Internal Medicine165, no. 15 (2005): 1698–1704, at Table 4 (95 per cent CI = 4.2–1096).
85.
Jansen-Van der WeideM. C.Onwuteaka-PhilipsenB. D.van der WalG., “Implementation of the Project ‘Support and Consultation on Euthanasia in The Netherlands’ (SCEN),”Health Policy69, no. 3 (2004): 365–373;.
86.
Jansen-Van der WeideM. C.Onwuteaka-PhilipsenB. D.van der WalG., “Quality of Consultation and the Project ‘Support and Consultation on Euthanasia in the Netherlands’ (SCEN),”Health Policy80, no. 1 (2007): 97–106.
87.
KNMG, Spiegelinformatie SCEN 2011 [SCEN Annual inventory of activities 2011] (2012): At Table 4.5, available at <http://knmg.artsennet.nl/Diensten/SCEN/Spiegelinformatie-3.htm> (last visited October 23, 2013) (31.2 percent in 2008, 29.8 percent in 2009, 22.2 percent in 2010; data from the most recently performed consultation). Note that the consultation intervenes prior to the provision of euthanasia, and where the consultant finds that the due care criteria have not been met, euthanasia will usually not occur.
88.
See van der Heide, supra note 48, p. 182.
89.
Onwuteaka-PhilipsenB. D.RurupM. L.PasmanH. R. W.van der HeideA., “The Last Phase of Life: Who Requests and Who Receives Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide?”Medical Care48, no. 7 (2010): 596–603, at Table 4.
90.
See Jansen-van der Weide, supra note 69, at Table 1 (depression present in 0.01 percent of granted euthanasia requests and 21.3 percent of refused requests);
91.
GroenewoudJ. H.Van Der HeideA.TholenA. J.SchudelW. J.HengeveldM. W.Onwuteaka-PhilipsenB. D.Van Der MaasP. J.Van Der WalG., “Psychiatric Consultation with Regard to Requests for Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide,”General Hospital Psychiatry26, no. 4 (2004): 323–330.
92.
HaverkateI.Onwuteaka-PhilipsenB.van Der HeideA.KostenseP.van Der WalG.van Der MaasP., “Refused and Granted Requests for Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide in The Netherlands: Interview Study with Structured Questionnaire,”BMJ321, no. 7265 (2000): 865–866.
93.
RuijsC. D.KerkhofA.van der WalG.Onwuteaka-PhilipsenB., “Depression and Explicit Requests for Euthanasia in End-of-Life Cancer Patients in Primary Care in The Netherlands: A Longitudinal, Prospective Study,”Family Practice28, no. 4 (2011): 393–399, at 396.
94.
See KNMG, supra note 7, at para 5.1.1;
95.
NVP, supra note 7, at para 5.
96.
See NVP, supra note 7, at para 5.2 (stating that the rate is only 3 percent);
97.
Groenewoud, supra note 74, at Table 1, p. 328 (estimating that the rate of psychiatric consultation is about 4 percent of all requests for euthanasia and assisted suicide and reporting almost twice as many requests for psychiatric consultation from psychiatrists than from non-psychiatrists).
98.
Following a complaint, the regional disciplinary tribunal found that a psychiatrist had erred in deciding that the patient lacked capacity simply because he suffered from dementia: “The dementia diagnosis does not automatically mean that a patient is incompetent in relation to [the desire for euthanasia].” Regionaal Tuchtcollege Groningen [Regional Disciplinary Tribunal Groningen], December 6, 2011, LJN: YG1572,
99.
discussed in van der Heide, supra note 48, at 66–67.
100.
Id., at 183.
101.
Id., at 184.
102.
See Smets, supra note 63, at Table 3.
103.
See Chambaere, ‘Trends in Medical End-of Life Decision Making…,”supra note 50, at Table 4.
104.
SmetsT.BilsenJ.Van den BlockL.CohenJ.Van CasterenV.DeliensL., “Euthanasia in Patients Dying at Home in Belgium: Interview Study on Adherence to Legal Safeguards,”British Journal of General Practice60, no. 573 (2010): e163–e170, at e165.
105.
See Meeussen, supra note 64, at Table 3.
106.
Id., at Table 2.
107.
Id.
108.
Van WesemaelY.CohenJ.BilsenJ.SmetsT.Onwuteaka-PhilipsenB.DeliensL., “Process and Outcomes of Euthanasia Requests under the Belgian Act on Euthanasia: A Nationwide Survey,”Journal of Pain and Symptom Management42, no. 5 (2011): 721–733, at Table 3 and Table 4.
109.
Id., at Table 3.
110.
Id., at 726.
111.
GanziniL.NelsonH.SchmidtT.KraemerD.DeloritM.LeeM., “Physicians' Experiences with the Oregon Death with Dignity Act,”New England Journal of Medicine342, no. 8 (2000): 557–563, at Table 2.
112.
See ODPH, supra note 51, at Table 1.
113.
GanziniL.DobschaS. K.HeintzR. T.PressN., “Oregon Physicians' Perceptions of Patients Who Request Assisted Suicide and Their Families,”Journal of Palliative Medicine6, no. 3 (2003): 381–390, at 388.
114.
See ODHS, supra note 51, at Table 1.
115.
See Ganzini, supra note 56, at Table 2. Note that in Table 4 it is reported that 29 patients had depressive symptoms.
116.
HamiltonN. G.HamiltonC. A., “Competing Paradigms of Response to Assisted Suicide Requests in Oregon,”American Journal of Psychiatry162, no. 6 (2005): 1060–1065;.
117.
GanziniL., “Physician-Assisted Suicide,”American Journal of Psychiatry163, no. 6 (2006): 1109–1110.
118.
LeveneI.ParkerM., “Prevalence of Depression in Granted and Refused Requests for Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: A Systematic Review,”Journal of Medical Ethics37, no. 4 (2011): 205–211, at Table 1.
119.
GanziniL.GoyE. R.DobschaS. K., “Prevalence of Depression and Anxiety in Patients Requesting Physicians' Aid in Dying: Cross Sectional Survey,”BMJ337 (2008): a1682.
120.
Id., at 973.
121.
Id., at 974.
122.
Id.
123.
Id.
124.
See Zurich Case, supra note 42;.
125.
Aargau Case, supra note 42;.
126.
Basel Case Entscheid 6B_48/2009 (11 Juni 2009) (Schweizerisches Bundesgericht) [Swiss Federal Supreme Court].
127.
WasserfallenJ.-B.ChioleroR.StiefelF., “Assisted Suicide in an Acute Care Hospital: 18 Months' Experience,”Swiss Medical Weekly138, no. 15–16 (2008): 239–242, at 240.
128.
See Bosshard, supra note 52, at 313.
129.
BosshardG.UlrichE.ZieglerS. J.BarW., “Assessment of Requests for Assisted Suicide by a Swiss Right-to-Die Society,”Death Studies32, no. 7 (2008): 646–657, at Table 1. This evidence is of highly questionable quality, as discussed in the analysis.
130.
FischerS.HuberC.ImhofL.Mahrer ImhofR.FurterM.ZieglerS.BosshardG., “Suicide Assisted by Two Swiss Right-to-Die Organisations,”Journal of Medical Ethics34, no. 11 (2008): 810–814, at Table 1.
131.
See Haas, supra note 45;.
132.
Black, supra note 45.
133.
See van der Heide, supra note 68, at Table 2.6.
134.
See SCEN2011, supra note 71, at Table 4.5.
135.
See van der Heide, supra note 48, at 182.
136.
See Smets, supra note 63, at Table 3.
137.
See Smets, supra note 83, at Table 2.
138.
See Meeussen, supra note 64, at Table 2.
139.
Oregon Department of Human Services, Oregon's Death with Dignity Act: Three Years of Legalized Physician-Assisted suicide (2001): At 4.
140.
Oregon Department of Human Services, Fourth Annual Report on Oregon's Death with Dignity Act (2002), at 10;.
141.
Oregon Department of Human Services, Sixth Annual Report on Oregon's Death with Dignity Act (2004), at 13;.
142.
Oregon Department of Human Services, Seventh Annual Report on Oregon's Death with Dignity Act (2005), at 14;.
143.
Oregon Department of Human Services, Eighth Annual Report on Oregon's Death with Dignity Act (2006), at 13;.
144.
Oregon Department of Human Services, Twelfth Annual Report on Oregon's Death with Dignity Act (2010), at 2.
Two such cases appear in the annual report for 2009: RRC, Jaarverslag 2009, supra note 61: Casi 2, 13. In case 2, the patient had developed aphasia which prevented a written request but the RRC was satisfied that the request by means of hand gestures, repeated at a later date in the presence of the patient's daughter, had been competent, and that the physician had paid particular attention to the issue of the patient's competence. In case 13, the patient had made repeated oral requests, but at the time of admission to hospital was no longer able to make a written request. Although this fact alone would not necessarily have resulted in a judgment of “not careful,” the fact that the consulted physician had not been able to assess the patient's capacity did result in such a judgment. Only case 2 appears in the English language version of the Annual Report: Regional Review Committees Euthanasia, Annual Report 2009 (2010): At 9.
153.
SmetsT.BilsenJ.CohenJ.RurupM. L.MortierF.DeliensL., “Reporting of Euthanasia in Medical Practice in Flanders, Belgium: Cross Sectional Analysis of Reported and Unreported Cases,”BMJ341, (2010): c5174, at Table 3. The response rate in this study was only 58 percent so the data should be used cautiously.
154.
See Rurup, supra note 46, at Table 1;.
155.
Smets, supra note 63, at Table 3.
156.
See Smets, supra note 83, at Table 2.
157.
See Meeussen, supra note 64, at Table 2 and Table 3.
PoussetG.BilsenJ.CohenJ.ChambaereK.DeliensL.MortierF., “Medical End-of-Life Decisions in Children in Flanders, Belgium: A Population-Based Postmortem Survey,”Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine164, no. 6 (2010): 547–553, at Table 1.
162.
See Smets, supra note 83, at Table 1.
163.
See Meeussen, supra note 64, at Table 1.
164.
See Chambaere, (2012), supra note 50, at 458.
165.
Id.
166.
Van Wesemael, supra note 87, at Table 3.
167.
Commissie Late Zwangerschapsafbreking en Levensbeëindiging bij Pasgeborenen [Commission on late abortion and termination of life of neonates] (LZA-LP), Jaarverslag 2007 [Annual Report 2007] (2008);
LZA-LP, Gecombineerd Jaarverslag over de jaren 2009 en 2010 [Combined Annual Report 2009–2010] (2011);
170.
LZA-LP, Gecombineerd Jaarverslag over de jaren 2011 en 2012 [Combined Annual Report 2011–2012] (2013).
171.
See de Boer, supra note 54, at 260.
172.
See WijlickKruseman, supra note 60, at 587.
173.
Id., at 261.
174.
See Rurup, supra note 46, at 47.
175.
See Lewis, supra note 20, at 127.
176.
Id., at 127–128.
177.
Sénat de Belgique, Proposition de loi modifiant la loi du 28 mai 2002 relative à l'euthanasie [Bill to amend the Euthanasia Act (Belgium) 2002] (S 5–1611) (2012).
GanziniL., “Commentary: Assessment of Clinical Depression in Patients Who Request Physician-Assisted Death,”Journal of Pain and Symptom Management19, no. 6 (2000): 474–478.
189.
FinlayI.GeorgeR., “Legal Physician-Assisted Suicide in Oregon and The Netherlands: Evidence Concerning the Impact on Patients in Vulnerable Groups - Another Perspective on Oregon's Data,”Journal of Medical Ethics37, no. 3 (2011): 171–174.
190.
BattinM. P.van der HeideA.GanziniL.van der WalG.Onwuteaka-PhilipsenB. D., “Legal Physician-Assisted Dying in Oregon and The Netherlands: Evidence Concerning the Impact on Patients in “Vulnerable” Groups,”Journal of Medical Ethics33, no. 10 (2007): 591–597, at 596.
191.
See FinlayGeorge, supra note 146, at 173.
192.
See Ganzini, supra note 97, at 974. Note that this study was not available at the time of Battin et al.'s review.
193.
Id.
194.
Id.
195.
Id., at 975.
196.
See Bosshard, supra note 104, at Table 1.
197.
Id., at 652.
198.
Id., at 655.
199.
See Black, supra note 45, at 164–165.
200.
See Van Wesemael, supra note 87, at 731.
201.
See Sénat de Belgique, Proposition de loi complétant, en ce qui concerne les mineurs, la loi du 28 mai 2002 relative à l'euthanasie [Bill to add provisions in respect of minors to the Euthanasia Act (Belgium) 2002] (S 5–1947) (2013).