scholarly journals The Final Act: An Ethical Analysis of Pia Dijkstra’s Euthanasia for a Completed Life

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. J. Holzman
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Ethical Analysis ◽  
Party Member ◽  
Moral Permissibility ◽  
Undue Pressure

AbstractAmongst other countries, the Netherlands currently allows euthanasia, provided the physician performing the procedure adheres to a strict set of requirements. In 2016, Second Chamber member Pia Dijkstra submitted a law proposal which would also allow euthanasia without the reason necessarily having any medical foundation; euthanasia on the basis of a completed life. The debate on this topic has been ongoing for over two decades, but this law proposal has made the discussion much more immediate and concrete. This paper considers the moral permissibility of Pia Dijkstra’s law proposal, focusing on the ethics of the implementation Dijkstra describes in her proposal. I argue that, at present, Dijkstra’s law proposal is unsuitable for implementation, due to a number of as of yet unaddressed problems, including the possible development of an ageist stigma and undue pressure on the profession of end-of-life coordinator. Perhaps adequate responses can be conceived to address these issues. However, the existence of a radically different, yet currently equally unacceptable position regarding the implementation of euthanasia for a completed life as proposed by fellow party member Paul Schnabel suggests it may be difficult to formulate an ethically acceptable implementation for this, in principle, ethically acceptable concept.

Conflicts About End-of-Life Decisions in NICUs in the Netherlands

PEDIATRICS ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 124 (1) ◽  
pp. e112-e119 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. A. E. Verhagen ◽  
M. de Vos ◽  
J. H. H. M. Dorscheidt ◽  
B. Engels ◽  
J. H. Hubben ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Decisions ◽  
Life Decisions

Frequency and determinants of advance directives concerning end-of-life care in The Netherlands

2006 ◽  
Vol 62 (6) ◽  
pp. 1552-1563 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mette L. Rurup ◽  
Bregje D. Onwuteaka-Philipsen ◽  
Agnes van der Heide ◽  
Gerrit van der Wal ◽  
Dorly J.H. Deeg
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Advance Directives ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Life Care

End-of-Life Care in the Netherlands and the United States: A Comparison of Values, Justifications, and Practices

1997 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy E. Quill ◽  
Gerrit Kimsma
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Assisted Suicide ◽  
Ethical Climate ◽  
The United States ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Physician Assisted Suicide

Voluntary active euthanasia (VAE) and physician-assisted suicide (PAS) remain technically illegal in the Netherlands, but the practices are openly tolerated provided that physicians adhere to carefully constructed guidelines. Harsh criticism of the Dutch practice by authors in the United States and Great Britain has made achieving a balanced understanding of its clinical, moral, and policy implications very difficult. Similar practice patterns probably exist in the United States, but they are conducted in secret because of a more uncertain legal and ethical climate. In this manuscript, we plan to compare end-of-life care in the United States and the Netherlands with regard to underlying values, justifications, and practices. We will explore the risks and benefits of each system for a real patient who was faced with a common end-of-life clinical dilemma, and close with challenges for public policies in both countries.

End-of-life decisions for surgical neonates: Experience in The Netherlands and United States

1995 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 1420-1424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna A Caniano ◽  
Frans W.J Hazebroak ◽  
Karen E DenBesten ◽  
Dick Tibboel
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Decisions ◽  
Life Decisions

scholarly journals Barriers in care for children with life-threatening conditions: a qualitative interview study in the Netherlands

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. e035863
Author(s):  
Marije Brouwer ◽  
Els L M Maeckelberghe ◽  
Agnes van der Heide ◽  
Irma Hein ◽  
Eduard Verhagen
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Open Communication ◽  
Qualitative Interview Study ◽  
Threatening Condition ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
End Of Life Decision ◽  
Life Decision

ObjectiveTo identify barriers, as perceived by parents, to good care for children with life-threatening conditions.DesignIn a nationwide qualitative study, we held in-depth interviews regarding end-of-life care with parents of children (aged 1 to 12 years) who were living with a life-threatening illness or who had died after a medical trajectory (a maximum of 5 years after the death of the child). Sampling was aimed at obtaining maximum variety for a number of factors. The interviews were transcribed and analysed.SettingThe Netherlands.Participants64 parents of 44 children.ResultsParents identified six categories of difficulties that create barriers in the care for children with a life-threatening condition. First, parents wished for more empathetic and open communication about the illness and prognosis. Second, organisational barriers create bureaucratic obstacles and a lack of continuity of care. Third, parents wished for more involvement in decision-making. Fourth, parents wished they had more support from the healthcare team on end-of-life decision-making. Fifth, parents experienced a lack of attention for the family during the illness and after the death of their child. Sixth, parents experienced an overemphasis on symptom-treatment and lack of attention for their child as a person.ConclusionsThe barriers as perceived by parents focussed almost without exception on non-medical aspects: patient-doctor relationships; communication; decision-making, including end-of-life decision-making; and organisation. The perceived barriers indicate that care for children with a life-threatening condition focusses too much on symptoms and not enough on the human beings behind these symptoms.

scholarly journals Regulating the international surrogacy market:the ethics of commercial surrogacy in the Netherlands and India

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 621-630
Author(s):  
Jaden Blazier ◽  
Rien Janssens
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Ethical Analysis ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
International Treaty ◽  
International Context ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Safety Standards ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Commercial Surrogacy ◽  
Cross Border

Abstract It is unclear what proper remuneration for surrogacy is, since countries disagree and both commercial and altruistic surrogacy have ethical drawbacks. In the presence of cross-border surrogacy, these ethical drawbacks are exacerbated. In this article, we explore what would be ethical remuneration for surrogacy, and suggest regulations for how to ensure this in the international context. A normative ethical analysis of commercial surrogacy is conducted. Various arguments against commercial surrogacy are explored, such as exploitation and commodification of surrogates, reproductive capacities, and the child. We argue that, although commodification and exploitation can occur, these problems are not specific to surrogacy but should be understood in the broader context of an unequal world. Moreover, at least some of these arguments are based on symbolic rhetoric or they lack knowledge of real-world experiences. In line with this critique we argue that commercial surrogacy can be justified, but how and under what circumstances depends on the context. Surrogates should be paid a sufficient amount and regulations should be in order. In this article, the Netherlands and India (where commercial surrogacy was legal until 2015) are case examples of contexts that differ in many respects. In both contexts, surrogacy can be seen as a legitimate form of work, which requires the same wage and safety standards as other forms of labor. Payments for surrogacy need to be high enough to avoid exploitation by underpayment, which can be established by the mechanisms of either minimum wage (in high income countries such as the Netherlands), or Fair-Trade guidelines (in lower-middle income countries such as India). An international treaty governing commercial surrogacy should be in place, and local professional bodies to protect the interests of surrogates should be required. Commercial surrogacy should be permitted across the globe, which would also reduce the need for intended parents to seek surrogacy services abroad.

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