Euthanasia Pushes Belgium Into Abyss

by Wesley J. Smith

In Secondhand Smoke

The Netherlands used to be the heart of euthanasia darkness. It is still dark, but the culture of death crown has passed to Belgium, which not only legalized doctor-injected killing, but has enthusiastically embraced euthanasia’s logical corollaries. And now, we find that the number of euthanasia killings continues to rise exponentially. From the story:

“Growing trend for euthanasia,” headlines the front page of Le Soir. ”Since 2002, and the implementation of a law that partially depenalises the practice, there have never been more cases of euthanasia,” explains the Belgian daily, which reports on the latest figures from the federal monitoring agency. With more than 85 declared cases per month since the start of this year, there will be more than 1,000 deaths by euthanasia in 2011, as opposed to 954 in 2010.

As a comparison, in 2008, there were about 500 cases, meaning a 100% increase in just 3 years.

Not only that, but as I have reported here, Belgium euthanasia as resulted in:

• Joining lethal injections with organ harvesting;
• The joint euthanasia of “non terminal partners,” who don’t want to live without each other;
• Nearly as many euthanasia deaths were non voluntary as voluntary in one study;
• Infanticide based on “quality of life” also occurs openly, as in the Netherlands, although it remains against the law. (See also here).
• In another study, nearly half of euthanasia deaths were shown to be non voluntary, many carried out by nurses;
• The euthanasia of a non terminally ill elderly woman who went on a hunger strike until a doctor agreed to kill her;
• Belgian pharmacies selling euthanasia kits to doctors.

Euthanasia is becoming a way of “life” in Belgium. As a consequence, the country is in a moral free fall. Culture of death, Wesley? What culture of death?