What are the conditions of the law?
When the euthanasia act was introduced in May, 2002, a number of conditions were outlined with the aim of controlling the practise of euthanasia and ensuring that people's rights were still maintained. If one or many of these conditions are broken in the process of euthanising a person it becomes an illegal act, however, many euthanasia acts that don't abide by all aspects of the law go unpunished.
The law states that in order to be eligible for euthanasia, a person must be undergoing unbearable or physical pain, and that a physician must be certain of the patient's suffering. If the patient's physician believes they will not die in the near future, another doctor who is either a psychologist or a specialist in the disorder must be consulted. There have been several cases, however, in which these conditions of the law have not been adhered to. [For further information on cases see the 'Euthanasia Cases' tab.]
The law also states that a physician must be the one administering euthanasia, but several nurses have admitted to beign actively involved in euthanising a patient, and half of those admitted that they acted without consent.
The Federal Control and Evaluation Commission
The commission was established in accordance with the Belgian Act on Euthanasia of May, 28th 2002 to draft a registration document to be submitted by physicians who have performed euthanasia on a patient and to evaluate the procedure to determine if it adheres to the conditions set out in the Act. The commission consists of sixteen members, appointed by royal degree according to their knowledge and experience. Eight are medical doctors, of which at least four must teach at a university in Belgium, four are lawyers or law professors at a university in Belgium, and four are part of groups that deal with incurably ill patients.
The overall aim of the commission is to ensure that euthanasia is not being wrongfully practiced and that all procedures undertaken in the process of euthanising a patient are in accordance with the regulations set out by the government. However, a number of euthanasia cases go unreported and unpunished.
One doctor on the Federal Control and Evaluation Commission is Dr Wim Distelmans, who also happens to be the leading euthanasia doctor in Belgium. Dr Distelmans and his colleagues on the commission pro-euthanasia, which means that they are biased in their actions of passing all evaluations and overlooking any that may have discrepancies.
The law states that in order to be eligible for euthanasia, a person must be undergoing unbearable or physical pain, and that a physician must be certain of the patient's suffering. If the patient's physician believes they will not die in the near future, another doctor who is either a psychologist or a specialist in the disorder must be consulted. There have been several cases, however, in which these conditions of the law have not been adhered to. [For further information on cases see the 'Euthanasia Cases' tab.]
The law also states that a physician must be the one administering euthanasia, but several nurses have admitted to beign actively involved in euthanising a patient, and half of those admitted that they acted without consent.
The Federal Control and Evaluation Commission
The commission was established in accordance with the Belgian Act on Euthanasia of May, 28th 2002 to draft a registration document to be submitted by physicians who have performed euthanasia on a patient and to evaluate the procedure to determine if it adheres to the conditions set out in the Act. The commission consists of sixteen members, appointed by royal degree according to their knowledge and experience. Eight are medical doctors, of which at least four must teach at a university in Belgium, four are lawyers or law professors at a university in Belgium, and four are part of groups that deal with incurably ill patients.
The overall aim of the commission is to ensure that euthanasia is not being wrongfully practiced and that all procedures undertaken in the process of euthanising a patient are in accordance with the regulations set out by the government. However, a number of euthanasia cases go unreported and unpunished.
One doctor on the Federal Control and Evaluation Commission is Dr Wim Distelmans, who also happens to be the leading euthanasia doctor in Belgium. Dr Distelmans and his colleagues on the commission pro-euthanasia, which means that they are biased in their actions of passing all evaluations and overlooking any that may have discrepancies.