Eduard Verhagen
Encyclopedia
Eduard Verhagen is an attorney and the medical director of the department of pediatrics
at the University Medical Center Groningen
(UMCG). He is mainly known for his involvement in infant euthanasia
in the Netherlands
.
Euthanasia is legal for patients over the age of 12 in the Netherlands. Verhagen, who studied both law and medicine, worked out a protocol with prosecutors and doctors in 2002 for infant euthanasia
cases. This Groningen Protocol
requires that the parents and teams of physicians and social workers agree that further treatment is futile. After a waiting period of several days, during which the parents can think over the decision and say goodbye, euthanasia is performed. The case records are subsequently turned over to the prosecutor's office. If this protocol is followed, prosecutors will refrain from pressing charges. In July 2005, this protocol was introduced nationwide in the Netherlands.
In 2005, the New England Journal of Medicine
published an article by Verhagen and his colleague Pieter Sauer outlining their protocol and documenting 22 cases of infant euthanasia that had been reported to the authorities between 1997 and 2004, with four of them occurring under Verhagen's supervision at his hospital. Verhagen and Sauer said the essay was intended to address "blood-chilling accounts and misunderstandings."
As his motive, Verhagen states that he believes euthanasia to be justified in cases of unbearable suffering, and that it is an important decision that should only happen as the result of an open and honest discussion among the involved parties, rather than as a lone decision of a doctor who is afraid of the consequences. However, the Groningen Protocol is extremely controversial. Among others, Dr Rob de Jong openly questions the criteria used in the Groningen protocol, especially "unbearable suffering" and the "expected quality of life" in a critical appraisal. Another important argument against the Groningen protocol is that the 22 cases described are all children with Spina bifida
, which is not considered a lethal disability.
Pediatrics
Pediatrics or paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician or paediatrician...
at the University Medical Center Groningen
University of Groningen
The University of Groningen , located in the city of Groningen, was founded in 1614. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands as well as one of its largest. Since its inception more than 100,000 students have graduated...
(UMCG). He is mainly known for his involvement in infant euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Euthanasia is legal for patients over the age of 12 in the Netherlands. Verhagen, who studied both law and medicine, worked out a protocol with prosecutors and doctors in 2002 for infant euthanasia
Child euthanasia
Child euthanasia is a controversial form of non-voluntary euthanasia that is applied to children who are gravely ill or suffer from significant birth defects....
cases. This Groningen Protocol
Groningen Protocol
The Groningen Protocol is a text created in September 2004 by Eduard Verhagen, the medical director of the department of pediatrics at the University Medical Center Groningen in Groningen, The Netherlands...
requires that the parents and teams of physicians and social workers agree that further treatment is futile. After a waiting period of several days, during which the parents can think over the decision and say goodbye, euthanasia is performed. The case records are subsequently turned over to the prosecutor's office. If this protocol is followed, prosecutors will refrain from pressing charges. In July 2005, this protocol was introduced nationwide in the Netherlands.
In 2005, the New England Journal of Medicine
New England Journal of Medicine
The New England Journal of Medicine is an English-language peer-reviewed medical journal published by the Massachusetts Medical Society. It describes itself as the oldest continuously published medical journal in the world.-History:...
published an article by Verhagen and his colleague Pieter Sauer outlining their protocol and documenting 22 cases of infant euthanasia that had been reported to the authorities between 1997 and 2004, with four of them occurring under Verhagen's supervision at his hospital. Verhagen and Sauer said the essay was intended to address "blood-chilling accounts and misunderstandings."
As his motive, Verhagen states that he believes euthanasia to be justified in cases of unbearable suffering, and that it is an important decision that should only happen as the result of an open and honest discussion among the involved parties, rather than as a lone decision of a doctor who is afraid of the consequences. However, the Groningen Protocol is extremely controversial. Among others, Dr Rob de Jong openly questions the criteria used in the Groningen protocol, especially "unbearable suffering" and the "expected quality of life" in a critical appraisal. Another important argument against the Groningen protocol is that the 22 cases described are all children with Spina bifida
Spina bifida
Spina bifida is a developmental congenital disorder caused by the incomplete closing of the embryonic neural tube. Some vertebrae overlying the spinal cord are not fully formed and remain unfused and open. If the opening is large enough, this allows a portion of the spinal cord to protrude through...
, which is not considered a lethal disability.
Sources
- Crouch, Gregory. "A Crusade Born of a Suffering Infant's Cry". The New York Times, March 19, 2005. (registration required)
- Schwartz, John. When Torment Is Baby's Destiny, Euthanasia Is Defended, The New York Times, March 10, 2005. (registration required)