Fact file by Neil FrancisPosted on Sunday 22nd July 2018 at 12:07am
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.