The Long Road to Legalizing Physician-Assisted Death in the Netherlands

Abstract

The authors describe developments in Dutch society during the second half of the twentieth century in relation to legislative measures concerning medical decisions toward the end of life. Euthanasia and physician-assisted death are matters of such criticality that they have been debated heavily for more than thirty years. Organizations, groups, and individuals from all levels in society have discussed not only the medical and moral aspects or the patients' perspective but also have demanded transparency through research and fact-finding. Also the legal, political, and even international ramifications were taken into consideration. The role of the government was to facilitate the ongoing debate until parties reached some form of consensus. In 2002, it finally culminated in a law that legalized the detailed procedures that had immersed over time and were agreed upon by all those involved.