Physician-assisted death in perspective : assessing the Dutch experience

Introduction Stuart J. Youngner and Gerrit K. Kimsma Part I. Background and History: 1. The lateness of the Dutch euthanasia debate and its consequences James C. Kennedy 2. Classifications and definitions: Dutch developments John Legemaate 3. The legalization of euthanasia in the Netherlands: revolutionary normality Heleen Weyers 4. The normative context of the Dutch euthanasia law Esther Pans 5. Dutch social groups on euthanasia: the political spectrum on ending life on request Heleen Weyers 6. The Dutch social fabric: health care, trust, and solidarity Margo Trappenburg and Hans Oversloot Part II. Regulation and Practice Deficiencies: 7. The unreported cases Bregje D. Onwuteaka-Philipsen 8. Physician-assistance in dying without an explicit request by the patient Agnes van der Heide 9. When requests do not result in euthanasia or assisted suicide Roeline W. Pasman 10. Dutch euthanasia in retrospect John Griffiths Part III. Quality Assurance: 11. Euthanasia consultants: professional assessment before euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in the Netherlands Gerrit K. Kimsma 12. Reviews after the act: the role and the work of regional euthanasia review committees Gerrit K. Kimsma and Evert Van Leeuwen 13. Palliative care and physician-assisted death Dick Willems Part IV. Learning from the Practice: 14. Unbearable suffering and advanced dementia: the moral problems of advance directives for euthanasia Cees M. P. M. Hertogh 15. Decision making capacity in patients who are in the early stage of Alzheimer's disease and who request physician-assisted suicide Ron Berghmans 16. Being 'weary of life' as cause for seeking euthanasia of physician-assisted suicide Mette Rurup 17. Shared obligations and 'medical friendships' in assisted dying: moral and psychological repercussions reconsidered Gerrit K. Kimsma and Chalmers C. Clark 18. Depression, euthanasia and assisted suicide Marije van der Lee 19. End-of-life decisions in children and newborns in the Netherlands Pieter J. J. Sauer and A. A. Eduard Verhangen 20. Hastening death through voluntary cessation of eating and drinking: a survey Boudewijn E. Chabot Part V. The Challenge of Unbearable Suffering: 21. The subjectivity of suffering and the normativity of unbearableness Henri Wijsbek 22. Assessment of unbearable and hopeless suffering in evaluating a request to end life Gerrit K. Kimsma Part VI. Overview: 23. The regulation of euthanasia: how successful is the Dutch system? Govert den Hartogh 24. No regrets Margo Trappenburg.