Implications of Dutch euthanasia practice for the Czech discussion on end-of-life care
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Abstract
The article presents an analysis of the Dutch euthanasia practice in the period 2002–2023 with an emphasis on the question of how the Dutch experience can be used in Czech discussions about palliative care and physician-procured death (euthanasia and assisted suicide). We present a comprehensive picture of typical patients who undergo euthanasia, their motivations, the environment in which euthanasia takes place, and the relationship between the physician who performs euthanasia and the patient who undergoes it. Based on the analysis, we show that even if euthanasia remains illegal in the Czech Republic, analysis of euthanasia practice can be a source of reflection and improvement of palliative care, particularly in the areas of better understanding of patients’ wishes and needs at the end of life, the role of the physician in dying, the importance of the place where the patient spends the end of life, and the role of mental suffering. The article also shows the relevance of a comprehensive knowledge of Dutch euthanasia practice for the Czech discussion on physician-procured death.
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