2017 Research Seminar Series: Euthanasia for people with learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorders: an examination of nine cases in the Netherlands

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Time: 1.00pm - 2.00pm
Venue: Floor 6, Heritage Room, St George's, University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London SW17 0RE
Price: free
Speaker(s): Dr Irene Tuffrey-Wijne

Euthanasia is possible in the Netherlands, provided that certain legal ‘due care' criteria are met. The patient must experience ‘unbearable suffering', but there is no requirement of limited life expectancy, and the suffering can be either physical or psychiatric. All cases must be reported to a review committee, which scrutinises (after the event) whether the decision to administer euthanasia met the due care criteria. A selection of case reviews are publicly available online.

What happens when the euthanasia request comes from someone with intellectual disabilities or autism spectrum disorder?

Dr Tuffrey-Wijne will present nine relevant case reviews, taken from the online data-base.

How did doctors assess whether the patients' suffering was "without prospect of improvement", or whether they had the capacity to make an autonomous request? Are the legal safeguards sufficiently robust?

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