Disability and Anti-Euthanasia Groups Outraged at Biased Dutch Study
UTRECHT,
August 10, 2005

(LifeSiteNews.com) - A new study appearing in the August 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine claims that the ‘careful patient evaluations and official practice guidelines’ followed by physicians in the Netherlands is adequate protection for those disabled people who fear for their lives in Dutch hospitals.

The study surveyed all general practitioners in 18 of 22 Dutch general practice districts. Researchers found that 44% of all requests for euthanasia or physician assisted suicide were granted. The conclusion of the study is that the safeguards are working just fine, that doctor compliance is high and that those who ask to be killed by their doctors are doing so ‘safely.’

These numbers, however, are misleading and amount to a whitewash, say opponents of euthanasia. Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director of Ontario’s Euthanasia Prevention coalition said that a study like this fails to ask specific questions to uncover the possible abuses related to euthanasia.

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