There is nothing wrong in ending life when the human is suffering pain. Some humans end the lives of many other living things for FUN and no one blinks an eye. It is the humans who need religion who are opposed to this. But the religious claim science can help in one case but frown on it in others. You people can not have it both ways, that is hypocritical and thus religion is false. Science and logic can cure one of silly myths and spooky ghosts.

By Paul Martin | June 16, 2010 11:31 AM

It is a viable alternative to increasing the retirement age to 67.

By frank | June 16, 2010 2:29 PM

The term "strict conditions" is inaccurate for the Dutch law on euthanasia. The "condition" here is that the doctor must deem the patient's suffering as "unbearable". That is, of course, entirely subjective, but in a dizzifying way since what we're talking about here is the doctor's subjective evaluation of the patient's subjective experience. How can a doctor, in an objective fashion, evaluate whether the suffering of his patient is, really, unbearable?
Of course he cannot. The Dutch law enables doctors to do what they feel is appropriate, including killing their patients if they deem it to be the right thing.
That may be what the Dutch public wants. But it's false to call those criteria strict. They're on the contrary loose, ill-defined, and they provide a very meager defense against a slippery slope.
Which is, perhaps, what is now taking place with the rising euthanasia numbers in the Netherlands.

By Morten Horn, MD, Norway | June 16, 2010 9:24 PM

Well, where I live in South Holland euthanasia is preferred to prescribing canabinoids when patients are in severe pain, muscle spasm, and/or illness unrelieved by Morphine and other prescribed drugs,

I've even been told by Drs and a Nurse that it's better to "Zelf-moord" than to have a medicinal need for weed. A Modern, Up-to-Date, Enlightened Netherlands Medical Profession.

By Gerard | June 17, 2010 12:49 AM

This is so sad. Britain has hospices specialising in pain relief, which gives people a much more dignified end than being put down like an animal. Also, though guidelines in Holland are supposed to be controlled there are a number of cases of involuntary euthanasia, which is frightening.

By Mrs S Wilsons | June 19, 2010 3:36 PM