It remains a sensitive subject where opinions are diametrically opposed. After all, there is no middle ground for whether or not to practice euthanasia. One thinks that someone should be able to decide this all for themselves, in a correct way of course, and the other thinks that it is playing God and therefore reprehensible.

Everyone has their own opinion

Although every person is allowed to have their own opinion and you can never impose it, it is strange, to say the least, that where people play god when it comes to euthanization, this real god makes people suffer unbearably. People who consider it a kind of sacrilege of faith can also explain it. In short, a discussion that will always have two camps.Yet the story of people who want to end their lives due to unbearable suffering can be heartbreaking if no one wants to cooperate. Or a child of a terminally ill father who receives no help and kills himself with a collection of pills. The man slowly suffocated. It is not easy to place that in the sense that it is intended that way.

What is it?

The doctor performs euthanization by administering lethal drugs to the patient who has decided to stop living due to hopeless and/or unbearable suffering. Assisted suicide falls under the same legislation and the difference lies in the fact that the patient now takes the drugs himself.

The law

It is clear that the law is strict. Yet it still seems difficult for many doctors to provide help. It feels rather ambiguous when a doctor who does not want to cooperate based on religious beliefs, intervenes in life (preservation) during his role as a doctor. Whatever the case, it remains a sensitive and sometimes charged subject. It is evident that the utmost care must be exercised.

What are the rules?

• It starts with the doctor’s assessment that the man or woman in question has made a well-considered choice, based on unbearable suffering or a hopeless situation and after explanation by the doctor.
• The doctor must have talked to the man or woman in question and both came to the conclusion that there is no other alternative.
• The doctor must then involve an independent doctor. This doctor must also have spoken to the man or woman in question and record his opinion in writing.
• The doctor then carries out the termination of life with great care.

The person in question must be subject to Dutch law and be able to think about the situation for themselves. Children between 12 and 15 years old can apply for permission with the permission of the official educator, and 16 and 17 year olds can decide for themselves, but are expected to involve the educator.

When is it punishable?

If the rules are followed properly, it is not punishable. However, if the rules are not followed consistently, it can be punishable. This can be up to 12 years. Doctors are hesitant for several reasons, but this is clearly one of them.

Will

If you are still clear of mind, but you know that you will no longer be able to make decisions yourself due to your illness, you can record this in advance. But it can also be a predetermined process that relates, for example, to a hopeless comatose situation that has arisen after an accident or otherwise. For such situations, you can draw up a will that will take effect if the situation arises.Another option in such a situation is to appoint someone to decide for you. If the situation arises and you can no longer decide for yourself, an authorized representative can make the decision. It goes without saying that this must be properly recorded in advance.

Finally

Great care is essential in such processes. It is evident that there will always be supporters and opponents, that man continues to move to get a grip on life is simply something that will always remain part of life and death.More information: NVVE