Only Half of Netherlands Assisted Suicides Reported by Doctors

AMSTERDAM, May 28, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Only half of doctor-assisted suicides in the Netherlands are being reported to the regional death-on-request review commissions. A report from the country’s euthanasia authority, the NOS, conducted for the country’s ministries of Health and Justice, found that paperwork was completed for only 54% of cases in 2001.  But the 2001 figure is better than previous findings of 41% in 1995 and a mere 18% in 1991. Poor reporting continues to be attributed to excessive paperwork.  The study also found that after years of growth, the number of “euthanasia” deaths and assisted suicides stabilized in 2001 at 3,500 and 300 respectively, out of a potential 9,700 patients who requested the service. The report found that every year, doctors “end the lives of 900 people without the required request.”  For newswire coverage:  https://www.expatica.com/index.asp?pad=2,18,&item_id=31510