Dutch move on assisted suicide

[brian]

A CAMPAIGN to give elderly people in the Netherlands the right to assisted suicide says it has gathered more than 100,000 signatures, hoping to push the boundaries another notch in the country that first legalised euthanasia.

The signatures are enough to force a debate in parliament, where the move is certain to face resistance.

The legalisation of euthanasia for the terminally ill in 2002 was preceded by decades of discussion and quiet negotiation that attached stringent conditions, including medical supervision.

Spokeswoman Marie-Jose Grotenhuis of the ''Of Free Will'' campaign said that the group had hoped for the 40,000 signatures needed to bring the idea to parliament when it launched its initiative in February.

It has so far received 112,500 signatures, in a country of 16 million.

The group proposes training people other than doctors to administer a lethal potion to people over the age of 70 who ''consider their lives complete'' and want to die.

The assistants would need to be certified and make sure that patients were not acting on a whim or due to a temporary depression ...

http://www.theage.com.au/world/dutch-move-for-assisted-suicide-20100309-pvvm.html

[Perrine]

And here`s Wesley J Smith, missing the point and showcasing his dearth of compassion:

http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/secondhandsmoke/2010/03/11/euthanasia-the-dutch-fall-off-a-vertical-moral-cliff/#comments

http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/secondhandsmoke/2010/03/08/100000-dutch-sign-petitions-to-permit-assisted-suicide-of-the-elderly/#comments

The `culture` of death doesn`t kill anyone.  No one enters the suicide booth except via their own free will.