Dutch coalition not in favour of suicide drug

According to Kuipers, “an impulsive intake is extremely risky”. The liberal democratic minister considers help from the doctor and control of a review committee important. He said so in a speech at the congress of the Dutch Association for a Voluntary End of Life (NVVE).

In the Netherlands, there is a debate about the possession of lethal drugs. Especially since a right-to-die campaigner allegedly sold a lethal drug and may thus have played a role in the deaths of 33 people. In March, a police officer became unwell after entering a house where a deceased person was found. He is assumed to have been in close contact with the suicide drug. The Dutch Reformed Party (SGP) wants to have stricter laws regarding the sale of these drugs.

Proud

At the conference, the attendees looked back at the introduction of the euthanasia law twenty years ago. Minister Kuipers stated that he is proud of the euthanasia law that was introduced twenty years ago. Kuipers says that the law has been drawn up “extremely carefully”, with “space for the doctor to make a proper assessment”. He calls the law “the guide” for the few countries that now also have a euthanasia law.

At the same time, the minister emphasises that the law provides clarity. At the conference, the NVVE expressed dissatisfaction with the Public Prosecution Service that “wrongly demands a prominent place” in the euthanasia practice. The association believes that the euthanasia practice is at risk due to the role of the Public Prosecution Service. When asked, Kuipers did not want to say anything about this.

Completed life

In his speech, the minister did not mention the ‘Completed life’ bill of former liberal D66 MP Pia Dijkstra. With this law, people aged 75 and over who consider their lives to be complete should be allowed to end their lives with assistance. The law has yet to be discussed in the House of Representatives.

In the coalition agreement between the liberal parties VVD and D66 and the Christian parties ChristenUnie (Christian Union) and CDA, it was agreed to have a free vote in parliament for this bill. All MPs can therefore decide for themselves whether to vote for or against. CU leader Gert-Jan Segers had indicated that his party would not sign the initiative.