12 April 2001 Doctors Reject Dutch Euthanasia Law. Doctors for Life predicted in our press release of 13/08/99 that active euthanasia would be legalised in Holland, and yesterday the prediction was fulfilled. This proves that Holland is continuing to glide down the slippery slope. DFL is deeply concerned about the decision of the Dutch government to continue with this disastrous experiment at the cost of the citizens of its country. Studies indicate that families, rather than patients, generally decide when the time has come for euthanasia. From among many examples we quote the example of a man who was hospitalised with terminal cancer and was in great pain. The son told the doctor they wanted to bury the old man before they went on holiday. The doctor agreed and overdosed the man with pain medicine. The next day, much to his shock, the old man was sitting up, feeling great. The intended overdose had not killed the man, but killed his pain. It illustrates that this doctor, in fact, did not know how to control his patient's symptoms - which events proved were entirely controllable. Guidelines do not protect people from being killed by their doctors once euthanasia is legalised, as experience in the Netherlands already shows. One example is that of a doctor who killed a nun who had requested not to be killed on the basis of religious belief because he felt she was in too much pain. In fact, a Dutch study from 1996 showed that nearly a quarter of doctors had killed patients without having received an explicit request. Experience has shown that doctors kill patients who they have abandoned, and not patients who they care for. Also, patients who opt for euthanasia have usually been offered one of only two options: the option of dying in excruciating suffering, or else euthanasia. They have not been offered the option of expert pain control (palliative care). Doctors for Life calls upon all doctors everywhere to ensure that they have adequate training in pain and other symptom control, and that they have access to specialist advice in these areas. Patients have a right to expect this of their doctors. Doctors for Life further calls on all governments to make such training a compulsory part of a doctor's education. Doctors for Life calls on the South African Government not to legalise active euthanasia and to remove all vague terminology that would allow active euthanasia, from their proposed euthanasia legislation. DFL is an organisation of about 800 doctors, specialists and professors of medicine from different medical faculties across South Africa. ### For more information contact: Dr. A.B. Hyams at tel.: (033) 4441707 or (083) 5000705 or Dr Albu van Eeden Tel: (031) 764-0443 office hours. |
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