Friday July 9, 2004

400 Reported Belgian Euthanasia Cases in Two Years

BRUSSELS, July 9, 2004 (LifeSite News) - Around 400 cases of euthanasia have been recorded in Belgium since the country legalized the practice two years ago. Medical experts claim that the figures indicate that Belgium's law is a success. They argue that the number of 'mercy killings' carried out in Belgium has remained constant and that the only change caused by the law is that doctors no longer have to perform euthanasia illegally.

The official statistics, however, may not tell the full story. When statistics were released in 2003 on the first year of legal euthanasia, doubts were raised over the number of official suicides. The official number of euthanasia cases was 170. But when the prestigious Belgian medical journal, Artsenkrant, studied weekly reports from hospitals, it concluded that the real number was two to three times higher.

Belgium's law allows a doctor to help kill a patient who is apparently in full control of his mental faculties if that person has asked "voluntarily and repeatedly," and has "thought deeply" about what they are asking.

See Expatica Coverage:
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=48&story_id=9350

See Zenit article on euthanasia:
http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=56300

See Lifesite coverage:
Belgian Senate Approves Euthanasia:
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2001/oct/01102602.html

pj

URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/jul/04070911.html

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