When the mask slips, people catch an unvarnished glimpse at what is going on behind all the soothing, medicalized language: killing people. By Jonathon Van Maren Nearly 3,000 people died by euthanasia in Belgium in 2022. One of them was 36-year-old Alexina Wattiez, who was suffering from terminal cancer. In 2021 she was told that …
Continue reading "Hushed Horrors"
By Cassy Fiano-Chesser The euthanasia program in Belgium has come under fire again, following news that a woman was suffocated with a pillow after the cocktail of drugs administered to her failed to end her life. Le Soir, a European media outlet, reported that Alexina Wattiez, who was just 36 years old, sought euthanasia after being diagnosed with terminal …
Continue reading "A Belgian woman was set to be euthanized. Then loved ones heard her screaming."
By Michael Cook According to reports in the Belgian media of a survey of attitudes towards health care, 40% of Belgians (more amongst Dutch-speakers than French-speakers) believe that the social security expenses need to be kept in check “by no longer administering costly treatments that prolong the lives of over-85s”. The obvious consequence of this, …
Continue reading "We don’t want to pay for oldies, say Belgians"
Belgium seems to be treating the victims of child abuse by domestic violence, neglect and sexual abuse by killing them By Richard Egan Every two years the Belgium Federal Commission on the Control and Evaluation of Euthanasia presents a report detailing statistics and developments in the practice of euthanasia in Belgium. The report is currently …
Continue reading "Euthanasia in Belgium: updates on a social experiment"
Belgium is the only country in the world to have legalised euthanasia for children of all ages. Euthanasia cases are up by 13% By SPUC—The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children Three children were killed by euthanasia in 2016 and 2017 in Belgium, according to a report by the country’s federal control and evaluation committee. …
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By Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director – Euthanasia Prevention Coalition A dispute has erupted in Belgium after a person with dementia was killed by euthanasia even though the person did not request death by lethal injection and was incapable of consenting. The division has grown since Dr Ludo Vanopdenbosch, a palliative care specialist, resigned from the …
Continue reading "Belgian euthanasia dispute erupts over the killing of a person with severe dementia"
A former member accuses it of breaking the law, muzzling dissent, and packing it with euthanasia practitioners By Michael Cook Last year the London Telegraph ran a travel article about Belgium, “10 reasons why Belgium is not as boring as you think.” A bit patronizing, right? Personally, I’d never call a country which has dared …
Continue reading "Belgium’s euthanasia commission under fire after shock letter by whistleblower"
Authorities suspect number may be as high as 50 By Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director – Euthanasia Prevention Coalition Ivo Poppe, a former nurse, is on trial in Bruges Belgium for killing patients in a health clinic in Menin, Belgium. The Guardian reports state that he admitted to killing 10 -20 patients but prosecutors are suggesting that …
Continue reading "Former Belgian nurse admits to killing 10-20 patients"By Michael Cook Even the controversial head of Belgium’s euthanasia commission is concerned that a well-known Belgian psychiatrist is allowing too many of her psychiatric patients to be euthananised. Dr. Wim Distelmans, an oncologist and the chair of the country’s euthanasia commission, has also helped to found a number of end-of-life clinics. He is euthanasia’s …
Continue reading "Belgium: euthanasia doctors split over psychiatric illness"By Michael Cook A book from Cambridge University Press to be released next week takes a critical look at euthanasia in Belgium. “Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: Lessons from Belgium” features essays on legal, philosophical and medical issues, as well as how euthanasia affects vulnerable populations, with a number of authors from Belgium and the UK. …
Continue reading "First interdisciplinary study of Belgian euthanasia published"By Nancy Valko I was in disbelief when I read Michael Cook’s article “Belgian Catholic psychiatric hospitals ‘adjust’ their view of euthanasia.” I had to read the translated version on the Brothers of Charity order’s statement itself myself to see if this was “fake news.” Thankfully, Brother Rene Stockman, the superior general of the Brothers …
Continue reading "How Can Belgian Catholic Psychiatric Hospitals “Adjust” for Euthanasia?"By Michael Cook One of the last substantial barriers to increasing the number of euthanasia cases for non-terminally-ill psychiatric patients in Belgium seems to have crumbled. A religious order in the Catholic Church, the Brothers of Charity, is responsible for a large proportion of beds for psychiatric patients in Belgium – about 5,000 of them. …
Continue reading "Belgian Catholic psychiatric hospitals ‘adjust’ their view of euthanasia"