Belgium 2016-2017 report released
0
DyingForChoice has translated the Belgian 2016-2017 report into English
The Belgian Federal Commission of Control and Evaluation of Euthanasia has released its full 2016–2017 report. Its reports are published only in Belgium's two national langauges: French and Dutch. So that English-speaking countries can read the report in full, DyingForChoice.com has translated the entire 70 page report into English.
Major takeouts of the 2016–2017 report include:
- There is ample evidence that doctors take diligent care by often consulting more widely than the Act requires.
- Assisted dying by advance directive remains very uncommon (1.3% of 2016/17 cases): almost all cases are by current request.
- There has been a significant increase in the ‘poly-morbidities’ category, in part because of a change in the classification system, but also because more folks fall into this category as the population ages.
- Cancer is still the major reason that patients choose assisted dying (64% in 2016/17), though its proportion of contributing illnesses is falling.
- The number of assisted dying cases in relation to psychiatric illness went down, not up, compared to previous years.
- Since changing the law in 2014 to permit assisted dying choice for minors, there have been just three cases: two in 2016 and one in 2017, all of severe and intractable illness. Extensive consultation occurred in each of the three cases, including assessment of decision-making capacity by at least one specialist child psychiatrist or psychologist.
- The typical age profile of euthanasia cases has in recent years increased a decile, as the population ages. Our own analysis of Belgian official death stats (not the Commission’s) shows that the elderly are not an ‘at risk’ group: the age distribution profile of assisted deaths is still younger on average than total deaths.
- The Commission notes that cancer diagnoses are increasing, so the counts of assisted deaths are expected to continue to rise in coming years.
- The Commission discusses several cases that required extended review, but no cases were referred to the public prosecutor in 2016/17.
The full (unofficial) English report can be downloaded here: PDF 1.4Mb.
A full (unofficial) English translation of the current version of the Belgium Euthanasia Act can be downloaded here: PDF 0.3Mb.
The authoritative original versions of the Belgian 2016-2017 report can be accessed in French and Dutch.