Netherlands assisted suicide

[DesperateOne]

How are things regarding suicide over there for people who live in the Netherlands and how complicated is the procedure?

I was reading that everyone with severe physical illness or treatment resistant mental illness like depression, schizophrenia and BPD has the right to leave this planet and that is written in law.

If this is true it must be such an amazing feeling to live over there knowing that you can press the button anytime and nobody will force you to live or shove you in an institution.

Pro lifers ofc fight this and want to extend the suffering of these people, but they have no empathy and experience of what's it like when your brain totally breaks. I've seen a person in a mental health ward who was suffering from some sort of schizophrenia and he wanted to jump out of a window even though it was locked, he was that desperate...

Doctors and people working there who were suppose to understand him, thought he was a walking zombie, but there is still someone else in there experiencing all of that terror on daily basis. In Netherlands that guy along with many others would finally get some peace!

 

[fwompie]

It's true but very hard to get. Will take years to be properly approved and even then a doctor might back out, especially if you're young and not physically ill.

 

[bluebirds]

It's true but very hard to get. Will take years to be properly approved and even then a doctor might back out, especially if you're young and not physically ill.

How or where to apply ? whats the name of these clinics? All I found was link to netherlands government page

do they take foreigners?

@fwompie

 

[fwompie]

How or where to apply ? whats the name of these clinics? All I found was link to netherlands government page

do they take foreigners?

@fwompie

No idea, they probably do not take foreigners just like switzerland. I only know about it slightly because I worked in healthcare and it was via their doctors with their families. And then it was still complicated, so applying for it as a foreigner seems impossible to me. Unfortunately I'm sorry

 

[DeadHead]

How or where to apply ? whats the name of these clinics? All I found was link to netherlands government page

do they take foreigners?

@fwompie

No they don't. You need to be a long term resident if not a citizen and be registered with a gp there.

 

[bluebirds]

No they don't. You need to be a long term resident if not a citizen and be registered with a gp there.

so for netherlands , there is not a single clinic that will take a foreigner ?

what about belgium ?

 

[DeadHead]

so for netherlands , there is not a single clinic that will take a foreigner ?

what about belgium ?

Same story.

 

[Tommen Baratheon]

No they don't. You need to be a long term resident if not a citizen and be registered with a gp there.

Yes, they do, but you need to be domiciled in Belgium and have a rijksregisternummer (sort of a social security number). You don't need to be a citizen, but it won't be easy. Belgium doesn't want to attract 'death tourists'.

 

[PetrichorBirth]

How are things regarding suicide over there for people who live in the Netherlands and how complicated is the procedure?

I was reading that everyone with severe physical illness or treatment resistant mental illness like depression, schizophrenia and BPD has the right to leave this planet and that is written in law.

There exists an euthanasia-law in the Netherlands, and it specifies six conditions that physicians have to meet in order to apply euthanasia.

The law states as conditions that the physician:

1) has become convinced that the patient's request was voluntary and well-considered,
2) has become convinced that the patient's suffering was hopeless and unbearable,
3) has informed the patient about the situation they're in and about their prospects,
4) has come to the conviction with the patient that there was no reasonable alternative solution for the situation they were in,
5) has consulted at least one other, independent physician who has seen the patient and given his or her written opinion on the due care requirements referred to in sections 1 to 4
6) has carried out the termination of life or assisted suicide with due care and attention to medical procedures.


Every time an euthanasia request is carried out, the physician has to report to a regional commission. This commission will judge whether the physician followed the rules, and will publish their report, with the case of the patient on https://www.euthanasiecommissie.nl/uitspraken-en-uitleg/p-2024/documenten (these are the reports published in 2024, you can read reports from earlier years as well. Lots of very interesting reads, i recommend it, translate it into english if you want). In case that the physician hasn't followed one or more of these rules, the Dutch prosecution service will investigate against the physician.

With all of these things said, it's not mandatory for a physician to honor a patients request for euthanasia. If you ask your doc for euthanasia, and you're refused for any reason (personal beliefs, whatever), your situation gets slightly more complicated, because then you have to contact the Euthanasia Expertise Centre, and they will have to investigate your whole situation, which will prolong everything.

 

[Tommen Baratheon]

In case that the physician hasn't followed one or more of these rules, the Dutch prosecution service will investigate against the physician.

Do you know if this has ever happened?

 

[PetrichorBirth]

Do you know if this has ever happened?

It happens semi-regularly that the commission decides that the physician hasn't properly followed one of these rules.

If you're interested, here's the same website, but filtered to the cases where the commission decided that the euthanasia had been carried out "carelessly" : https://www.euthanasiecommissie.nl/uitspraken-en-uitleg/o/onzorgvuldig/documenten

Unfortunately it's never specified whether any legal action is actually taken against these physicians. I guess everything depends on the context.

 

[Tommen Baratheon]

It happens semi-regularly that the commission decides that the physician hasn't properly followed one of these rules.

If you're interested, here's the same website, but filtered to the cases where the commission decided that the euthanasia had been carried out "carelessly" : https://www.euthanasiecommissie.nl/uitspraken-en-uitleg/o/onzorgvuldig/documenten

Unfortunately it's never specified whether any legal action is actually taken against these physicians. I guess everything depends on the context.

Thanks, very interesting and thorough. I've looked for something similar for Belgium and found this:

Federale controle en evaluatiecommissie euthanasie

De Commissie Euthanasie werd opgericht in 2002 en is ermee belast na te gaan of de euthanasie die werd toegepast door een arts, werd uitgevoerd conform de zorgvuldigheidsvoorwaarden en de procedures van de wet .

overlegorganen.gezondheid.belgie.be

If you look at 'Publicaties' there's 2-yearly reports. I've looked at 2 of them and the conclusion is the same: according to the Commission everything went fine.

 

[Tommen Baratheon]

I need

Yes, they do, but you need to be domiciled in Belgium and have a rijksregisternummer (sort of a social security number). You don't need to be a citizen, but it won't be easy. Belgium doesn't want to attract 'death tourists'.

I need to correct myself: Belgium will take foreigners, no need to be domiciled, but only for euthanasia in case an incurable - physical - disease. It seems a lot of people from France come to Belgium, because apparently in France they'll let you suffer until the end.

Euthanasia for 'ondraaglijk psychisch lijden' (unbearable mental suffering) is only preserved for Belgians.

 

[LunarLight]

because apparently in France they'll let you suffer until the end.

I can confirm that, although a law on euthanasia should likely be examined in the following years.