14 April 2001

Christians for Truth, an international Christian organisation, condemns the latest step which the Dutch government and parliament have taken in the decriminalisation of assisted suicide. The Dutch parliament accepted a law earlier this week in which the killing of a patient by a doctor will no longer be punishable when the doctor has acted 'carefully' along certain guidelines and reports the killing to a (non-judicial) committee.

The removal of these killings from the Penal Code is a new signal in the ongoing relaxing of the law around suicide and euthanasia. While this law was being discussed, there were two court cases pending (in appeal) which already foretell the shadows of the future and seem to be the next step on

the slippery slope downwards. In one case a perfectly healthy elderly man was killed on his own request, because he felt he was 'done with life'. In the other, most recent case, a lady who could not express her own will, was killed on the initiative of the doctor and her relatives. The doctor was

acquitted of murder. He did not receive punishment because he committed the deed out of compassion, the judge ruled.

The successive Dutch laws around these medical ethical issues in the past have all been drawn up after courts judged certain behaviour of doctors tolerable (which was always a step further than the law officially tolerated at that time). This means that if the higher courts uphold the verdicts in

these ongoing court cases, a new, further relaxing of the laws will be around the corner. Research shows that already at least a thousand patients per year are being killed without their explicit (recent) consent. The Dutch minister of Health, Mrs Els Borst-Eilers, made it clear during the debate that a deeply demented person who cannot express her/his will clearly anymore and refuses food or drink, can be considered as having a wish to die. If the person has years ago made it clear that he/she would opt for euthanasia, the doctor may think on the patient's behalf and decide that it

will be according to his/her wish to be killed, so the minister concluded.

During the debate, no answers were given by the government on how the very low reporting rate of committed euthanasia will be increased. Although full reporting is required, at present less than 50% of all cases are reported. It can be concluded that many doctors commit forgery on the death

certificates in order to stay out of trouble. (It is striking that many of the cases which were and are brought before the court, had been committed by doctors who were clear supporters of assisted suicide and chose deliberately to seek publicity to further their cause.)

During the law, the opposition Christian Democratic party, which as a governing party helped in forming the liberal euthanasia climate over the last twenty years, showed itself a fierce opponent of the new law. For the last six years approximately, the Netherlands has been governed by a

government which exists of a multi-coalition of social-democrats, liberals and social liberals. These parties fervently favour the euthanasia law and have proposed many other drafts of legislation which contradicts values of life.

CFT, who took part in a quiet protest against the new euthanasia law on 10 April, the day of the discussions, was very thankful for the massive turnout of more than 10.000 participants. This was a rare show of unity in which many Dutch churches and individual Christians united against the new

proposals. CFT hopes that this will be the start of further fruitful cooperation amongst concerned Christians in these dangerous times.