Euthanasia

Jan Gilby (Waikato Times, February 23) asks if cases of abuse of the euthanasia law are not reported, where do information about abuses come from? They come from contacting physicians who do not return survey questionnaires.

For example, in 2010 researchers sent

6927 questionnaires to physicians in the region of Flanders, Belgium for deaths from June 1 to November 30, 2007 for analysis.

The researchers received 3623 questionnaires and found that 52.8% of the euthanasia deaths were reported while 47.2% were unreported.

The study found that those who did return their questionnaires practised euthanasia carefully while those physicians who did not return their questionnaires offered the following reasons:

‘‘For 76.7% of the cases, physicians answered that they did not perceive their act as euthanasia, whereas for 17.9% they gave the reason that reporting is too much of an administrative burden, 11.9% that the legal due requirement had possibly not all been met, and 9% that euthanasia is a private matter between the physician and patient. A small proportion (2.3%) did not report the case because of possible legal consequences:

5177-5178.’’ For full report, search ‘‘Smets, Tinne et al. ‘‘Reporting of euthanasia in medical practice in Flanders Belgium: cross sectional analysis of reported and unreported cases’’.

For an article on the illusion of safeguards and controls, search ‘‘Legalizing euthanasia or assisted suicide: the illusion . . . – Parliament’’. John Fong Hamilton