Euthanasia: killing as due care?

On 10 April 2001, the Netherlands was the first country to pass a law on the killing of patients at their request (euthanasia), which took effect on 1 April 2002. Belgium followed and passed a euthanasia law on 16 May 2002, which took effect on 23 September 2002 and is even more liberal than the Dutch one. Physicians will be exempted from criminal liability provided they satisfy the so-called 'due care criteria'. However, in medical history euthanasia has never been part of the medical duty of care. Instead, the goals of medicine have always been the relief of pain and suffering. The current article provides insights into the Dutch, Belgian and Oregon euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide practices and reflects upon some central medical and legal documents on the regulation of euthanasia and the provision of palliative care. Modern palliative care includes both the delivery of competent palliative skills and a virtuous attitude of compassionate caring about the terminally ill patient as an autonomous person. Here, the author rejects killing as due care and proposes a novel concept of 'RAHME' (Aramaic: compassion, love, mercy), which calls for a holistically oriented concept where physicians act as companions to the terminally ill and dying patients.