Dutch regulator resigns over dementia killings
from SPUC;
A Dutch euthanasia regulator has quit her post in protest at the killings of patients suffering from dementia, reports BioEdge.
The Catholic Herald observes that the number of dementia patients killed by euthanasia has risen fourfold over the past five years.
Berna van Baarsen, a medical ethicist, said she could not support “a major shift” in the interpretation of her country’s euthanasia law to endorse lethal injections for increasing numbers of dementia patients: “I do not believe that a written declaration of intent can replace an oral request for incapacitated patients with advanced dementia.”
Under Article 2.2 of the Dutch euthanasia law, a doctor may euthanise a patient who can no longer make clear what he wants, but who had previously left a written declaration.
“In people with a terminal illness like cancer, in whom euthanasia has already been agreed but who suddenly ended up in a coma because of their illness, that’s fair,” says van Baarsen.
“However, dementia is a very different kind of ailment. That disease is more erratic and patients often live longer. A lot of things can happen during that period. For instance, a patient might say that she would want euthanasia if she no longer recognises her relatives.”
“This could happen. But at a next visit she can still recognize her partner or her children. What is the right moment to grant euthanasia?”
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