Euthanasia and law in the Netherlands: reflections on Dutch perspectives

During the summer of 1999, twenty-eight interviews with some of the leading authorities on the euthanasia policy were conducted in the Netherlands. The discussion begins with providing some background information on the guidelines for conducting euthanasia. Next, I explain the research methodology and move on to discuss the interviewees' responses to the question whether it is preferable to legislate euthanasia. The interviewees exhibited split views on the issue. Some were in favor of legislation for instrumental and symbolic reasons. Others utilized different instrumental and symbolic reasons to argue against legislation. Three interviewees preferred to wait for some years before changing the law.