Physician-assisted death: Policy-making by the Assembly of Prosecutors General in The Netherlands

European Journal of Health Law

Volumn 4, Issue 3, 1997, Pages 225-238

  Cuperus Bosma, Jacqueline M ^b   Van Der Wal, Gerrit ^b   Van Der Maas, Paul J ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM   (Netherlands)

^b NONE

Author keywords

Assembly of Prosecutors General; Euthanasia; Notification procedure; Physician assisted suicide; Prosecution policy; Public prosecutor

Indexed keywords

ARTICLE; COURT; EUTHANASIA; GOVERNMENT; HEALTH CARE POLICY; JURISPRUDENCE; LAW; MEDICOLEGAL ASPECT; NETHERLANDS; POLITICS;

EID: 0030685049     PISSN: 09290273     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1163/15718099720522084     Document Type: Article

References (21)

1. Supreme Court 27-11-1984, Nederlandse Jurisprudentie 1985, 106.
2. Wal G. van der & Dillmann R.J.M. (1994) Euthanasia in the Netherlands, British Medical Journal 308:1346-1349.
3. Wal G. van der & Maas P.J. van der (1996) Euthanasie en andere medische beslissingen rond het levenseinde. De praktijk en de meldingsprocedure. [Euthanasia and other medical decisions concerning the end of life. Practice and the notification procedure.] Den Haag: Staatsuitgeverij.
4. Wal G. van der, Maas P.J. van der, Bosma J.M. et al. (1996) Evaluation of the notification procedure for physician-assisted death in the Netherlands, New England Journal of Medicine 335: 1706-1711.
5. 2 Code of Criminal Procedure).
6. In the Netherlands two forms of acquittal exist: vrijspraak if the facts charged can not be proved and ontslag van alle rechtsvervolging if the facts charged are proved, but either these do not amount to an offence, or the offender is not considered to be liable to punishment.
7. At the request of the Assembly, the Minister subsequently issued a written indication for prosecution in the first case (Prins) and an inquest in the second case (Kadijk).
8. Namely Supreme Court 3 mei 1988, Nederlandse Jurisprudentie 1989, 391.
9. Leenen H.J.J. & Legemaate J. (1993) Stervensfase geen vereiste voor euthanasie [The terminal phase is not prerequisite for euthanasia], Nederlands Juristenblad 68: 755-756;
10. Beek G.P. van de (1993) Terminale fase ziektefase wel vereiste voor straffeloze euthanasie [Terminal phase of a disease is a prerequisite for non-prosecution euthanasia], Nederlands Juristenblad 68: 1078-1082;
11. Leenen H.J.J. & Legemaate J. (1993) Stervensfase bij euthanasie: een naschrift [The terminal phase in euthanasia: a postscript], Nederlands Juristenblad 68: 1082-1083.
12. Minutes Assembly of Prosecutors General 18-8-1993.
13. Supreme Court 21-6-1994, Nederlandse Jurisprudentie 1994, 656;
14. Leenen H.J.J. (1994) Hulp bij zelfdoding bij psychisch lijden; arrest van de Hoge Raad [Physician-assisted suicide for mental suffering: verdict of the Supreme Court], Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde 138: 1781-1782;
15. Gevers J.K.M. (1996) Physician-Assisted Suicide and the Dutch Courts, Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 5: 93-99.
16. For one of these cases the Minister indicated, that if necessary with reference to article 5 of the Court Organization Act she would give instructions that the case should not be prosecuted. Article 5 of the Court Organisation Act states that 'officials of the Public Prosecutor are obliged to obey the orders which will be issued to them by those authorised in the name of the King'
17. Court of Appeal Leeuwarden 21-9-1995, Nederlandse Jurisprudentie 1996, 61.
18. Supreme Court 15-12-1987, Nederlandse Jurisprudentie 1988, 811.
19. Leenen H.J.J. (1994) Handboek Gezondheidsrecht. Deel I Rechten van mensen in de gezondheidszorg. [Manual of Health Law. Part 1: Human rights in Health Care]. Alphen aan den Rijn: Samson H.D. Tjeenk Willink, p. 302;
20. Wöretshofer J. (1992) Volgens de regelen der kunst. [According to the regulations of the art]. Arnhem: Gouda Quint, p. 309-310.
21. Most of the problems encountered can be solved by introducing legalization of physician-assisted death, to include the material criteria for prosecution and, for example examination by multidisciplinary non-penal committees. However, the question is whether the legislation will make an early change in this direction. This will not be a subject of further discussion in our paper.