First do no harm: euthanasia of patients with dementia in Belgium

Cohen-Almagor, Raphael

Abstract

Euthanasia in Belgium is not limited to terminally ill patients. It may be applied to patients with chronic degenerative diseases. Currently, people in Belgium wish to make it possible to euthanize incompetent patients who suffer from dementia. This article explains the Belgian law and then explores arguments for and against euthanasia of patients with dementia. It probes the dementia paradox by elucidating Dworkin's distinction between critical and experiential interests, arguing that at the end-of-life this distinction is not clearcut. It argues against euthanasia for patients with dementia, for respecting patients' humanity and for providing them with more care, compassion, and good doctoring.

Citation

Cohen-Almagor, R. (2016). First do no harm: euthanasia of patients with dementia in Belgium. The Journal of medicine and philosophy, 41(1), 74-89. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmp/jhv031

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Dec 8, 2015
• Publication Date: Feb 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Dec 23, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 13, 2017
• Journal: Journal of medicine and philosophy
• Print ISSN: 0360-5310
• Electronic ISSN: 1744-5019
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 41
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 74-89
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jmp/jhv031
• Keywords: Autonomy; Belgium; Beneficence; Critical and experiential interests; Dementia paradox; Euthanasia
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/383448
• Publisher URL: http://jmp.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2015/12/08/jmp.jhv031.abstract?sid=bd05b815-2fd5-45fd-8ba4-e94b9d9b58e5
• Additional Information: This is a description of an article published in: Journal of medicine and philosophy, 2016, v.41 issue 1.