Palliative Care & Euthanasia in The Netherlands: Observations of a Dutch Physician (IN: The Case Against Assisted Suicide, ed. by K Foley & H Hendin)

The author describes working in palliative care in The Netherlands, where its development has been severely hampered by the easy availability of euthanasia. He profiles the different types of patients requesting euthanasia, which fall into 5 categories: Afraid, Burned-out, Control Oriented, Depressed, & Extreme. The doctor’s own hospice care is discussed, & the social cost of euthanasia in The Netherlands is examined.