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In the Netherlands, Belgium and Oregon, physician-assisted suicide is legal. The Dutch now consider euthanasia and assisted suicide as "medical treatments." As of the end of 2007, 341 persons had died from legal assisted suicides in Oregon. (Source: Oregon Department of Human Services) Voters in Maine rejected the legalization of assisted suicide in their state during the November 2000 elections. In Holland, only 40% of all assisted suicides and euthanasia are reported. 80% of Dutch doctors have killed people deliberately through direct, active (not passive) euthanasia. Studies examining the psychological background of individuals who kill themselves show that 95% have a diagnosable mental disorder at the time of death. In Holland, 9% of all deaths in 1990 were attributed to euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide, even though it is still technically illegal. According to reports by the Dutch Government in 1990 and 1995, 26% of euthansia cases occurred without the patient's consent. Of those cases, 21% involved patients that were deemed competent |
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Introduction Euthanasia violates the principle that each human being has intrinsic dignity and value, regardless of age, physical or mental condition, or state of dependency. Euthanasia seeks to improve the quality of life, not by mutually ennobling acts of care and assistance, but by exterminating those who fall below some arbitrary standard. Killing is never a proper expression of compassion. We approve of the accepted medical practice of administering pain-relieving drugs in whatever dosage necessary to alleviate the suffering of the terminally ill, as long as there is no intent to bring about or hasten the patient's death. We care about human life and about people and families facing difficult medical decisions. We promote positive steps of advocacy to protect all human life, no matter what its situation on the continuum of life. Questions and Answers Question 4: Should I get a "Living Will?"? |