Euthanasia and Palliative Care in the Low Countries

ISBN: 9042915560

Author: Tom Meulenbergs

Condition: New

About the AuthorPaul Schotsmans studied Educational Sciences and obtained a Doctoral Degree in Theology at the Catholic University of Leuven. He is professor of medical ethics at the Catholic University of Leuven and director of the Centre for Biomedical Ethics and Law. He also serves as a member in the Belgian Advisory Committee on Bioethics, a board member of the International Association of Bioethics and is president of the European Association of Centres of Medical Ethics (EACME). He advised Belgian parliament on the Euthanasia Bill.Tom Meulenbergs read Philosophy at the Institute of Philosophy, Catholic University of Leuven, where he earned his Master of Arts in Philosophy. From 2000 until 2004, he was a researcher at the Centre for Biomedical Ethics and Law (Leuven). Currently, he is working as a policy advisor on health care for the Ministry of Flanders and is researching for a Ph.D. in Social Health Sciences on the subject of health care ethics committees and innovative forms of ethics support in clinical settings.Product DescriptionBelgium and the Netherlands - the Low Countries - are the first countries in the world to have legalized euthanasia. Physicians who terminate life at the patient's request no longer have to fear criminal prosecution. However, end-of-life legislation in the Low Countries has provoked diverse responses and sparked vigorous and divisive ethical debate. For some, the new legislation has become a shining example; for others it is a lamentable materialization of a culture of death. This book provides an overview and comparison of the legal specifics of the Belgian and Dutch Euthanasia Acts, a discussion of palliative care initiatives and an ethical examination of the new legislation. In addition, the book provides an in-depth analysis of the arguments used in the end-of-life debate and a critical examination of the positions taken by the churches. The book concludes with an overview of how Christian health-care institutions accommodate to this new legal situation.