Who Commits Euthanasia?
It is difficult to gauge how many Dutch doctors perform euthanasia. One survey taken in 1985 and 1986 found that 48 percent said they had received at least one request for death. Of these, 37 percent said they had complied. Thus, 18 percent of the doctors responding had performed euthanasia. But another survey indicated that 81 percent of the family doctors polled had done it. Dr. Gunning, however, says, “Quite a number of doctors really don t like it after all. Some say they support it but they refuse to practice it.” Performance of euthanasia remains limited to doctors, although a physician can request the help of a nurse. A few years ago, three nurses at the Free University Hospital of Amsterdam killed several comatose patients without any form of consent. At trial they were found guilty only of acting without the guidance of a doctor. The KNMG, together with the Dutch nurses union, issued a joint paper in March 1987 that not only explicitly advocates euthanasia but also clearly del
