Leo van Doesburg

The issue of euthanasia is becoming more and more relevant in Europe today. As Secretary General of the Working Gr oup for H uman Dignit y , on behalf of the ir members, I organized an  event last mont h where all participants noted that the elderly and terminally ill should be treated with respect and human dignity. Unfortunately, i n Belgium, euthanasia was also seen as a part of palliative care, focusing on the so-called "dignity to die". Also t he country where I come from, the Netherlands, has become a "champion" for euthanasia, becoming the f irst countr y that legalized euthanasia . This article, which was written with the kind help of the  De Nederlandse Patiëntenverening , the Italian Matchman News and my assistant L efteris Ka loterakis, shows how this issue has evolved in the public discourse and how the practice of euthanasia threatens the life and human dignity of thousands of my compatriots.

"Last week, a written declaration that aimed to focus on the "dignity to die" (which is a term used mostly to promote assisted s uic ide ) considerably failed to get the needed majority at the European Parliament. While they need a majority for this declaration, t hey only got 95 out of 751 votes. It is encouraging to see that because of a total lack of support , this initiative colla psed . Read more here in the press release of  the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe (FAFCE).

STRASBOURG, France — The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights has agreed to hear an appeal in a lawsuit filed against the Swiss government after authorities there would not provide a woman who does not suffer from any fatal disease with drugs to commit suicide. An ECHR panel ruled 4-3 in May of this year that Switzerland’s law banning lethal poison in such circumstances violates Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (right to respect for private and family life) because the court considered the law vague. “The government has an obligation to protect life, not facilitate death,” said Legal Counsel Paul Coleman. “Claims to personal autonomy do not override national laws designed to protect the weak and vulnerable. We trust the Grand Chamber will support this principle, which is entirely consistent with the European Convention on Human Rights.” (Press release of the Alliance Defending Freedom)

We welcome the adoption, by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), of a  Resolution setting the principle that “ Euthanasia, in the sense of the intentional killing by act or omission of a dependent human being for his or her alleged benefit, must always be prohibited .” This is the first time, in the past decades, that euthanasia is so clearly rejected by a European political institution. This Resolution is a major victory for the protection of life and dignity; it comes a year after the European Court asserted that there is no right to euthanasia or assisted suicide under the European Convention. It is a new major victory for life and dignity, states Grégor Puppinck, Director of the ECLJ. It should have a direct impact on the upcoming judgement of the European Court in the case Koch v. Germany concerning the ban of assisted suicide in Germany.  More information, read more here (Source: the European Center for Law and ...