By Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director – Euthanasia Prevention Coalition
The Dutch News reported that the number of reported assisted deaths increased by 10% in 2016–with 6,091 reported assisted deaths, representing 4% of all deaths in the Netherlands–up from 5,561 reported assisted deaths in 2015.
Since 2006, there has been an overall 317% increase in assisted death in the Netherlands.
Every five years the Netherlands conducts a major study on euthanasia. The 2010 study that was published in the Lancet in July 2012 indicated that 23% of all assisted deaths were unreported in the Netherlands.
If this trend continued, in 2016there may have been 1,400 unreported assisted deaths.
There was also an increase in euthanasia deaths based on dementia or psychiatric reasons. There were 141 people who died by euthanasia based on dementia in 2016, up from 109 the previous year. There were 60 people who died by euthanasia for psychiatric reasons in 2016, up from 56 the previous year.
In 2016, there were 10 cases referred by a Regional Euthanasia Control and Evaluation Commission for investigation.
Editor’s note. This appeared on Mr. Schadenberg’s blog and is reposted with permission.