Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: Lessons from Belgium

by David Albert Jones, Chris Gastmans, Calum MacKellar

Overview

Examining the evidence from Belgium – one of only five countries where euthanasia is practised legally – an international panel of experts considers the implications of legalised euthanasia and assisted suicide. Looking at the issue from an international perspective, the authors have written an invaluable in-depth analysis of the ethical aspects of this complex area. The discussion forms a solid foundation for informed debate about assisted dying. With contributors from a broad range of disciplines, this book is ideal for students, academics, legislators and anyone interested in legal, medical, social and philosophical ethics. A vital and timely examination of a growing phenomenon and one of the most challenging ethical questions of our time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781107198869
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	09/21/2017
Series:	Cambridge Bioethics and Law , #42
Pages:	378
Product dimensions:	6.18(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.98(d)

About the Author

David Albert Jones is Director of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre, Oxford and a Research Fellow at Blackfriars Hall, Oxford. He is also a Research Fellow at St Mary's University, Twickenham. He is Vice-chair of the Ministry of Defence Research Ethics Committee.

Chris Gastmans is a Professor of Medical Ethics and Director of the Centre for Biomedical Ethics and Law, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, Belgium. He was a member of the Bureau of the European Association of Centres of Medical Ethics and held the positions of Secretary-General, Treasurer and President.

Calum MacKellar is Director of Research at the Scottish Council on Human Bioethics, Edinburgh and a Member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Bioethics and Emerging Technologies at St Mary's University, Twickenham.

Table of Contents

Introduction; Part I. Euthanasia Legislation in Belgium and its Applications: 1. A discussion of the legal rules on euthanasia in Belgium briefly compared with the rules in Luxembourg and the Netherlands Herman Nys; 2. The Belgian experience of euthanasia since its legal implementation in 2002 Etienne Montero; 3. Ethics and the psychiatric dimensions of physician assisted suicide: a view from the United States Daniel P. Sulmasy; Part ll. Euthanasia and End of Life Care: 4. Assisted dying – the current situation in Flanders: euthanasia embedded in palliative care Paul Vanden Berghe, Arsène Mullie, Marc Desmet and Gert Huysmans; PostScript: death as disruption or disruptive dying? Some further reflections since 2013 'Assisted dying – the current situation in Flanders: euthanasia embedded in palliative care' Paul Vanden Berghe, Marc Desmet and Gert Huysmans; 5. The practice of continuous sedation at the end of life in Belgium: how does it compare to UK practice, and is it being used as a form of euthanasia? Sigrid Sterckx and Kasper Rau; 6. 2002–2016: fourteen years of euthanasia in Belgium: first-line observations by an oncologist Benoit Beuselinck; 7. 'A last act of grace'? Organ donation and euthanasia in Belgium Trevor Stammers; Part lll. Euthanasia and Particular Vulnerable Groups: 8. A life worth living? Disabled people and euthanasia in Belgium Kevin Fitzpatrick and David Albert Jones; 9. Euthanasia in patients with intolerable suffering due to an irremediable psychiatric illness: a psychiatric perspective Joris Vandenberghe; 10. Euthanasia in children: keep asking the right questions Stefaan Van Gool and Jan De Lepeleire; 11. Euthanizing people who are 'tired of life' Raphael Cohen-Almagor; 12. Euthanasia in persons with severe dementia Chris Gastmans; Part lV. Euthanasia in Belgium: A Philosophical and Bioethical Discussion: 13. Some possible consequences arising from the normalisation of euthanasia in Belgium Calum MacKellar; 14. Euthanasia and assisted suicide in Belgium: bringing an end to interminable discussion David Albert Jones; 15. Psychiatric patients and the culture of euthanasia in Belgium Willem Lemmens; Final conclusions on final solutions David Albert Jones, Chris Gastmans and Calum MacKellar.

Editorial Reviews

‘Overall, the book contains an interesting collection of essays. In the end, the editors have achieved their objective of providing an interdisciplinary study of the law on euthanasia in Belgium, which draws on medical, legal, and philosophical analysis and lived experiences. It is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the details of the Belgian law on euthanasia, and it will be of particular use for those who want to explore specific areas of the euthanasia and assisted suicide debate … It is an interesting reading and one that may well prompt the reader to undertake research into this complicated and complex area.’ Nataly Papadopoulou, Medical Law Review

From the Publisher