Is it true? (Question directed at the Dutch)

[Viktorkrum77]

Recently my cousin mentioned to me about this apparent huge assisted suicide rate in the Netherlands? That they were killing off all mental ill teens, or anyone who wanted to die could or something? Could somebody elaborate, is this true?

[How2PK]

Uh. not that I know.

[Mercifull]

lol sounds like a stupid teen chain email.

[Lovelydude]

I think euthanasia is legal in the Netherlands, perhaps this is a rumour based on that.

 

 

 

When in doubt,

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teehee.

[Wachtwoord]

I think euthanasia is legal in the Netherlands, perhaps this is a rumour based on that.

 

 

 

When in doubt,

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teehee.

 

Well, not really. There has been a big debate about this for a while, and I think it's unlegal now.

 

But personally I've never heard there are a lot of suiciders here. Sounds like a lot of cabbage to me.

[Lovelydude]

Well, at one time it was legal. Thanks for the update. :D

 

 

 

Vik, it's probably just a stupid internet rumour.

[Sumpta]

Actually, there's a huge debate to extend the possibility of euthanasia to children. There is a legal option for euthanasia here, but only for adults. And just to be clear, it's not to kill of mentally ill children, it's to help mortally ill and suffering children... I mean it's not like "Hey, I feel like dying today, let's visit the doctor and ask for a nice electrocution".

 

 

 

This debate is mainly Belgian, by the way, not Dutch. But since the right-wing conservative separatist parties have had a huge electorial victory yesterday, I fear we can shelve the whole discussion in favour of -oh boy- yet another state reform. With your European political interest, Viktor, I suggest watching this for a while... it's gonna be an interesting few political months here and the outcome will define the future or death of Belgium as a state. Bah.

[dutchdreams]

We have legalised soft-drugs, euthanasia, same-sex marriage, abortion, prostitution (there's even a union for prostitutes) and gambling in state-owned casinos, but not (aided) suicide.

 

 

 

Debate has been going on about aided suicide. This would be for people, who after extensive psychological treatment and healthcare (over a time span of years) still cherish a death wish and would do anything within their powers to fulfill that wish if left untreated. We are talking people age 25+ here.

 

Or elder people, who are perfectly physically healthy, but have had enough of their life of desolation, anguish, sorrow. People who have basically lived their lives, have had enough of their mental distress and want to move on.

 

 

 

To stop these people from having to kill themselves in an undignified way, aided suicide has been discussed. The regulation on this wouldn't be much different from euthanasia. On a case by case base it has to be decided that all treatment options are exhausted and that further treatment would not improve the patient's wellbeing.

 

A formal request would have to be made, approved by a physician and another (or two) independent physician. The whole process later on would then be reviewed by a board of peers, to see the doctors were indeed justified to aid in the death of the patient. Not following protocol would lead to legal prosecution of those doctors.

 

 

 

This has been the debate, no steps on legislation have been taken though. Nor do I forsee any legislation on it in the near future either (fundamental Christians in government at the moment). The legal and ethical implications are enormous of course.

 

 

 

The only incident I can think of, that is close to what Viktor posted is two or three teenage girls, who committed suicide (or tried, I don't remember if they succeeded) after being spurred on by their peers. Apparantly, these girls had been chatting about suicide on MSN/yahoo, in certain chat rooms specifically aimed at that subject. They discussed the implications and deemed it 'cool'. So a few of them actually tried it, driven by chat friends peer-pressure and teen angst.

 

 

 

In short: anyone claiming there are state-wide plans on killing off mentally ill people over here is full of bovine manure.

[Necromagus]

To add to that last (awesome) post: The governement has stated that they wanted specialists to look into palliative care as an alternative to docter-assisted suicide. However, a combination of parties (among others socialists, labour, right-wing liberal) that holds just a seat short of two-thirds of the parliament have all spoken out in favour of euthanasia, so I doubt we'll see any major new restrictions being put in place in the next four years.

[Mercifull]

The thing that would annoy me most about assisted suicide to "depressed" teenagers is that my tax money will have gone into providing them with a good education and me not getting anything in return (their tax input into NHS, roads, council services etc) which ultimately mean more of my wages is eaten up. :shame:

[Tigra00]

It's true.

 

 

 

I went to Amsterdam and someone jumped out of an ally by a "coffee shoppe" and offered me a bag of weed. I was like "Dude? I can buy it in that Coffee place for less..." and he was like "Oh yea? Well..." and that's all I can remember after he euthanized me.

 

 

 

Not sure why I woke up with my pants off and my shoes gone, though. Guess that's just how the Dutch roll! I should thank that kind man for correcting my wardrobe malfunction.

[Necromagus]

Hey, I know that alley! I drive by it every day on my way to college. Nice guy. Does a lot of volunteer work for the salvation army and reads to children in the hospital.

[Tigra00]

Hey, I know that alley! I drive by it every day on my way to college. Nice guy. Does a lot of volunteer work for the salvation army and reads to children in the hospital.

 

 

 

That would explain the nurse outfit. Was a bit low-cut in the chest area for him, if you ask me.

[Mercifull]

Hey, I know that alley! I drive by it every day on my way to college. Nice guy. Does a lot of volunteer work for the salvation army and reads to children in the hospital.

 

 

 

That would explain the nurse outfit. Was a bit low-cut in the chest area for him, if you ask me.

 

I like to do my bit for the community.

[assassin_696]

The thing that would annoy me most about assisted suicide to "depressed" teenagers is that my tax money will have gone into providing them with a good education and me not getting anything in return (their tax input into NHS, roads, council services etc) which ultimately mean more of my wages is eaten up. :shame:

 

 

 

I'm sure we could make some profit out of their bodies.

[Viktorkrum77]

Well, at one time it was legal. Thanks for the update. :D

 

 

 

Vik, it's probably just a stupid internet rumour.

 

 

 

No, it was apparently in a book.

 

 

 

Actually, there's a huge debate to extend the possibility of euthanasia to children. There is a legal option for euthanasia here, but only for adults. And just to be clear, it's not to kill of mentally ill children, it's to help mortally ill and suffering children... I mean it's not like "Hey, I feel like dying today, let's visit the doctor and ask for a nice electrocution".

 

 

 

This debate is mainly Belgian, by the way, not Dutch. But since the right-wing conservative separatist parties have had a huge electorial victory yesterday, I fear we can shelve the whole discussion in favour of -oh boy- yet another state reform. With your European political interest, Viktor, I suggest watching this for a while... it's gonna be an interesting few political months here and the outcome will define the future or death of Belgium as a state. Bah.

 

 

 

Interesting, I'll see what I can do to follow Belgian politics.

 

 

 

BTW what's the name for a Belgian person, a Belgie?

[megakiller32]

The thing that would annoy me most about assisted suicide to "depressed" teenagers is that my tax money will have gone into providing them with a good education and me not getting anything in return (their tax input into NHS, roads, council services etc) which ultimately mean more of my wages is eaten up. :shame:

 

 

 

I'm sure we could make some profit out of their bodies.

 

 

 

Or feed them to the homeless :D

[highlanders]

Netherlands and belgium allow it under these conditions:

 

 

 

1: The patient must be experiencing unbearable pain.

 

2: The patient must be conscious.

 

3: The death request must be voluntary.

 

4: The patient must have been given alternatives to euthanasia and time to consider these alternatives.

 

5: There must be no other reasonable solutions to the problem.

 

6: The patient's death cannot inflict unnecessary suffering on others.

 

7: There must be more than one person involved in the euthanasia decision.

 

8: Only a doctor can euthanize a patient.

 

9: Great care must be taken in actually making the death decision.

 

 

 

As you can see, it's not done lightly. And it's plausible that it's the place with the highest rates since only four places on the planet allow it: Oregon(since 1997), Switzerland(since 1941), Belgium(since 2002) and Netherlands(since 2003). So if they do have the highest rates, it's no big deal, it's normal, it's one of the rares places on earth where it's allowed.

[Viktorkrum77]

Well, I'm gonna check out this book she got this info from that made it sound like an epidemic. :roll: I don't have a problem with assisted suicide, but she made it sound like they were killing people left and right. It shocked me, so I had to ask. The "nederlands" around here (and the Belgians) are much better to talk to than Google.

[tomdavies90]

yes its true, not so sure about the teen thing but there's a high assisted suicide rate because its one of the only places in the world where euthanasia is legal

[Heerlijk]

Uh. not that I know.

 

 

 

What this guy said.

 

 

 

But then again, I haven't been living in the Netherlands for 13 years. That was 1994, so it wasn't even around, and I was just a teenager then anyway, I could care less about much back then lol.

[Sumpta]

BTW what's the name for a Belgian person, a Belgie?

 

 

 

BelgiÃÆÃâÃâë is the Flemish word for Belgium. (Walloon: La Belgique)

 

Een Belg is a Belgian. (Walloon: un Belge)

 

 

 

It's a bit of a surreal place, because of the constant struggle between the two regions, with Brussels in between. Instead of separating or fighting a civil war, we have three governments to regulate a country so small that you can drive from the one end to the other in a few hours.

[Necrobean]

And I completely started to hate the Walloons, they keep asking us - The Flamish - for money and are just a big problem to the country itself.

 

 

 

As for euthanasia I thought they where some politics who where discussing about this big time, I don't see why they do this, wouldn't it be better to be pre-suicide instead of legal euthanasia.

 

 

 

In my honest opinions the Netherlands are pretty F-ed up atm to. The decision to legalize weed was a bad one as there are some cities up close to Belgium are trying to dump the so called Coffee shops at the border (Thus they're aiming to dump the problems into Belgium)

 

 

 

I also dislike the mentality of the Netherlands people, I mean no harm but I'm sick of them acting big on the streets whilst their grades and their life at home sucks.

 

 

 

Belgium is stupid to, dumping other country's plutomium trash into Mol - A town where lot's of people go on vacation, so do I- isn't very clever, altough the radiation isn't big anymore - This was according to my dad, he used to work there and had to go IN the bunker, they warned him about "eventual cancer".

 

 

 

Another annoying politic faction in our country is a discrimination one, True, the Marocans and Polish people are doing stupid things to our country but to kick them all out and being racist isn't right - Some politic started the idea for a NON-moslim street sign, some people have signs in their houses with "no hate street" he wanted a sign with "NON-Moslim street"

 

 

 

That's my opinions about my nabour country (Netherlands) and my own Belgium, I guess I could go on and on; not in the mood.

[Mercifull]

In my honest opinions the Netherlands are pretty F-ed up atm to. The decision to legalize weed was a bad one as there are some cities up close to Belgium are trying to dump the so called Coffee shops at the border (Thus they're aiming to dump the problems into Belgium)

You seem to believe that drug use is rampant and legal all across the board in Holland. You are seriously misinformed. You should take a look at these two Wikipedia entries. They make for good reading.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_polic ... etherlands

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_issues_of_cannabis

 

Just for the record, of the three times ive been to Holland I have met only kind people and I didn't see any evidence of their society crumbling away.

 

 

 

I also dislike the mentality of the Netherlands people, I mean no harm but I'm sick of them acting big on the streets whilst their grades and their life at home sucks.

Recently voted the happiest country in Europe. Dont know where you get your information from?

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6360517.stm

 

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2 ... nd_com.php

 

 

 

You sir, are an imbecile.

[sour_tacos]

I wonder if Oregon's rate of suicidal/depressed people is higher? Is it like a kind of Mecca for depressed, suicidal people?