That might be because the development of the laws was carried out with input from the medical profession. That depends how you look at it. As van der Heide points out, the Dutch laws were designed with cases like terminal cancer in mind — but while cancer patients still make up the majority of requests, the proportion of requests related to other conditions is growing.
That has led to controversy. The RTE report recorded concerns by Dutch psychiatrists and doctors about the use of euthanasia for people with psychiatric disorders and patients in a very advanced stage of dementia. However as Huxtable points out, other jurisdictions including Oregon show that broadening of use is not inevitable. There have also been allegations of malpractice. In both the Netherlands and Belgium reported their first cases in which doctors were investigated for possibly breaching the laws , with three more investigations under way in the Netherlands involving the euthanasia of psychiatric patients.
There have been concerns by disabilities groups that as euthanasia and assisted suicide become more common, it could put a pressure on those living with non-terminal conditions to end their lives. But van der Heide says doctors in the Netherlands take great care when dealing with requests to make sure patients meet strict requirements, and turn down those who do not. She adds that the development of laws to allow euthanasia or assisted dying must be handled carefully.
Guardian design Illustration: Guardian Design. Which countries permit any of these variants? GPs to be consulted for views on assisted dying. Read more. Before the law's passage, helping somebody to die in Spain was potentially punishable by a jail term of up to 10 years.
The passage of the law was celebrated by right-to-die campaigners, but condemned by conservative and religious groups. Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Canada and Colombia are the only other countries in which euthanasia is currently legal. Portugal's parliament had attempted to take the same step. But this week, legislation that sought to legalise euthanasia was rejected as unconstitutional by the country's top court. Lawmakers from the Spanish parliament's lower house passed the law, with votes in favour, against and two abstentions.
Spain's minority coalition government, which is led by Mr Sanchez's Socialist Party, had to seek the support of other parties to pass the bill.
We are heading towards a more humane and fair society," Health Minister Carolina Darias told lawmakers. Outside parliament, groups for and against the bill demonstrated during the debate and the vote. Danel Aser Lorente, a year-old film lecturer whose mother had Alzheimer's and was denied the right to end her own life, was pleased with the outcome.
Those who feel this way sometimes point to Nazi Germany , which promoted its genocide of Jews, gypsies, disabled people, and political dissidents as euthanasia. In many countries, euthanasia is illegal and can result in a murder conviction.
However, there are some countries in which it is legal under stringent conditions. Switzerland has perhaps the least-regulated laws dealing with euthanasia, as a diagnosis is not required by the physician administering the lethal medication, and there is no age limit. Euthanasia is legal in Belgium for someone who is in unbearable suffering and will not recover. If that person is not terminally ill, then a one-month waiting period is required.
Topic Selected: Euthanasia Book Volume: Click to Print. Assisted dying is allowed in a growing number of countries — but not the UK. By James Ashford Euthanasia is illegal under English law, but the number of countries where it is permitted is growing. Assisted suicide is when someone take Want to see the rest of this article?
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