Active Voluntary Euthanasia or Physician-Assisted Suicide?

Two descriptive, retrospective studies examined why Dutch general practitioners, nursing home physicians & patients opt for active voluntary euthanasia rather than for physician-assisted suicide, or vice-versa. 48% of the general practitioners, 78% of the nursing home physicians & about half of the patients who opted for euthanasia did so because of the physical condition of the patient. When assisted suicide was chosen, it was “as far as possible to let the patient bear the responsibility”.