[The fringes of the euthanasia law]

A survey published in the Dutch Journal of Medicine (NTvG) shows that doctors asked to assess the suffering of patients making a request for euthanasia may give very different opinions. In this paper, I argue that this stems from the subjective character of the term 'unbearable' and that differences are bound to occur even more frequently in 'borderline' cases, such as those presented here. In my opinion, such differences do not justify a plea to abandon the assessment of unbearable suffering altogether. Rather, differences in assessment may serve as indications that the boundaries of the Dutch law on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are within sight. Moreover, it is argued that advance directives can only be seen as euthanasia requests in a legal sense if, at the time of issue of the directive, the patient was informed about his or her diagnosis and had discussed different treatment options with the physician. Such a directive may never serve as a generic request which is valid under hypothetical conditions.