Department of Bioethics, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
School of Law, Washington University, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA.
J Med Ethics. 2019 Feb;45(2):84-89. doi: 10.1136/medethics-2017-104644. Epub 2018 Mar 3.
Authorising euthanasia and assisted suicide with advance euthanasia directives (AEDs) is permitted, yet debated, in the Netherlands. We focus on a recent controversial case in which a Dutch woman with Alzheimer's disease was euthanised based on her AED. A Dutch euthanasia review committee found that the physician performing the euthanasia failed to follow due care requirements for euthanasia and assisted suicide. This case is notable because it is the first case to trigger a criminal investigation since the 2002 Dutch euthanasia law was enacted. Thus far, only brief descriptions of the case have been reported in English language journals and media. We provide a detailed description of the case, review the main challenges of preparing and applying AEDs for persons with dementia and briefly assess the adequacy of the current oversight system governing AEDs.
在荷兰，根据预先的安乐死指示（AED）授权安乐死和协助自杀是被允许的，但仍存在争议。我们关注的是最近的一个有争议的案例，一位患有老年痴呆症的荷兰妇女根据她的 AED 被安乐死。荷兰安乐死审查委员会发现，实施安乐死的医生未能遵守安乐死和协助自杀的适当护理要求。这个案例很重要，因为这是自 2002 年荷兰安乐死法颁布以来首例引发刑事调查的案例。到目前为止，只有英文期刊和媒体对此案进行了简要报道。我们提供了对该案的详细描述，回顾了为痴呆症患者准备和应用 AED 所面临的主要挑战，并简要评估了当前监管 AED 的监督制度是否充分。
