Monday, November 8, 2010

Leader of Belgium euthanasia lobby is misleading

Professor Jan Bernheim, an oncologist from Belgium, is misleading audiences on the facts concerning the Belgium model of euthanasia.

Bernheim, a leader in the Belgium euthanasia lobby, who worked to legalize euthanasia in Belgium, recently stated to an audience in Queensland Australia:
"there was no evidence of abuse or a slippery slope beyond voluntary euthanasia under the Belgian model."

A study that was published in the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association on May 17, 2010 found that 32% of all euthanasia deaths in the Flanders region of Belgium were without explicit request or consent. CMAJ study.

The same researchers also investigated the role of nurses in the model for euthanasia in Belgium and they found that 45% of euthanasia deaths that were done by nurses, were without explicit request or consent. CMAJ study.

In response to criticism concerning the nurses role in doing euthanasia in Belgium the lead authors of the article stated:
Our questionnaire indeed asked whether there was discussion between the nurse and the relatives in those cases – which happened in 68.9% – but we did not include this in our article because involving the relatives, especially in case of patient incompetence, is ultimately the responsibility of the physician, as is the decision itself. The decision is not made between nurses and relatives, but by the physician with input from relatives as well as nurses.

These comments further confirm that the practise of euthanasia in Belgium is not based on the choice of the person who will die, but rather the decision is made by the phsyician with input from relatives as well as nurses.

Once again, choice is an illusion in the actual practise of euthanasia in Belgium.

It seems that the Belgium euthanasia lobby and Compassion & Choices (Conflation & Con Jobs) have a lot in common.

As I say: "if there is nothing wrong with euthanasia and assisted suicide, then why do you have to lie about it"

Previous blog reports on the Euthanasia model in Belgium:
Belgium style euthanasia.
Belgium nurses are involved with euthanasia without consent nearly half of the time.
Incidence of euthanasia and assisted suicide continue to increase in the Netherlands and Belgium.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Excellent observation!
I worked in the Netherlands as a physician and I am confirming the practice of eventually announcing the family that the patient will receive all the necessary help not to suffer.In this case the old, very old patients, who were not even dreaming about euthanasia, even opposed to it while being very convinced Protestants. There for no official documents were done about euthanasia and as a pro-life lawyer confirmed to me this was a crime. I refused and left my job.