Agence France Presse reported on 20 Feb 08:
Luxembourg to become third EU country to allow euthanasia
Luxembourg lawmakers have adopted a bill legalising euthanasia, priming
the Grand Duchy to become the third EU country allowing doctors to help
patients end their own lives.
The parliament passed the bill with only a slim majority with 30 out of
59 lawmakers voting in favour and nearly all of the members of Prime
Minister Jean-Claude Juncker’s Social Christian Party voting against.
The Netherlands became in 2002 the first EU country to allow euthanasia,
although in strict conditions, and was followed by Belgium the following
year.
The bill, which still has to be approved in a second reading to take
effect, fuelled passionate debates in Luxembourg, where Catholic values
remain firmly entrenched. The medical community was mostly against it.
“This bill is not a permit to kill,” said Socialist lawmaker Lydie Err,
who helped draft it.
“It’s not a law for the parents or the doctors but for the patient and
the patient alone to decide if he wants to put an end to his suffering,”
she added.
According to the bill, euthanasia will be strictly regulated and can be
mentioned in a “living will.”
Doctors will have to consult with a colleague to confirm that the person
is suffering from a “grave and incurable condition.”
A national commission made up mainly of doctors and officials would also
be created to check on a case-by-case basis that all legal conditions
and procedures are respected.
The bill still has to be approved at a second reading before it can take
effect.
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Literature on euthanasia at www.finalexit.org/ergo-store
