20 years of euthanasia in Belgium: after almost 30,000 lives lost, what can we learn?
from ADF International:
Over 27,000 people have died from euthanasia in Belgium since it was legalised 20 years ago on 28th May 2002, according to the latest official data from Belgian authorities.
The country has been cited as an example of a “slippery slope” that concerned parties warn is inevitable with such legislation. Belgium provides a revealing case study for other governments considering legalisation. Though euthanasia was initially legalized under narrow, “strict conditions”, updates to the law have seen Belgium become the first and only country in the world to have no lower age limit enforced for children.
Belgian cases have also included instances where patients have been euthanised for psychiatric conditions, including depression.
“A fair and just society cares for its most vulnerable. International law protects everyone’s inherent right to life. It requires countries to protect the inherent dignity and lives of all people, rather than to help end those lives,” said Jean-Paul Van De Walle, legal counsel for ADF International in Brussels, Belgium.
In 2021, almost one in five euthanised in Belgium were not expected to die naturally in the immediate future.
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