The Dutch Government intends to draft a law that would legalize assisted suicide for people who feel they have "completed life" but are not necessarily terminally ill. The Netherlands was the first country to legalize euthanasia, in 2002, but only for patients who were considered to be suffering unbearable pain with no hope of a cure.

    But in a letter to parliament last week, the health and justice ministers said that people who "have a well-considered opinion that their life is complete, must, under strict and careful criteria, be allowed to finish that life in a manner dignified for them."

    The proposal is likely to provoke critics who say the scope of Dutch euthanasia policy has already expanded beyond its original boundaries, with "unbearable suffering" not only applying to people with terminal diseases but also to some with mental illnesses and dementia.

    The euthanasia policy has widespread backing in Dutch society, and cases have risen by double digits every year for more than a decade as more patients request it and more doctors are willing to carry it out. Euthanasia accounted for 5,516 deaths in the Netherlands in 2015, or 3.9 percent of all deaths nationwide.

    Edith Schippers, the health minister, wrote in the letter that "because the wish for a self-chosen end of life primarily occurs in the elderly, the new system will be limited to" them.

    She did not define a threshold age.

    Although details remained to be worked out, the new law would require "careful guidance and vetting ahead of time with a 'death assistance provider' with a medical background, who has also been given additional training."

    Other aspects of the law would include safety mechanisms including third-party checks, reviews and supervision, she said.

    The proposal came as a surprise because a commission enlisted to study the idea of allowing a "completed life" extension to current policy concluded there was no need for it.

    The ministers disagreed. They hope to draft a law, in consultation with doctors, ethicists and other experts, by the end of 2017.

    Words to Learn 相关词汇

    安乐死

    ānlèsǐ

    euthanasia

    the act of killing someone painlessly, esp to relieve suffering from an incurable illness

    审查

    shěnchá

    vet

    appraise, verify, or check for accuracy, authenticity, validity, etc.

    荷兰或准“人生完整者”安乐死

    荷兰政府计划起草一项法案，让那些感到“完成了人生”但不一定处在绝症晚期的人可以合法进行安乐死。

    2002年，荷兰成为首个安乐死合法化的国家，但安乐死对象仅限于遭到难以忍受的疼痛折磨且没有治愈希望的病患。

    不过，卫生部和司法部上周向议会递交了一份文件，称“在严格谨慎的评判标准下，允许经过深思熟虑认为自己的人生已经完整的人以有尊严的方式结束他们的生命。”

    该提案可能会激怒那些认为该国安乐死政策范围已经超出其最初边界的批评人士。在荷兰，不仅是晚期绝症患者，一些精神疾病与痴呆症患者也被认为符合“无法忍受的折磨”这一情况。

    安乐死政策在荷兰受到广泛支持，由于越来越多的病人要求安乐死，且更多的医生愿意执行安乐死，十多年来安乐死案例每年以两位数的速度不断增长。2015年，荷兰的安乐死案例为5516起，占全国死亡总人数的3.9%。

    卫生部长伊迪丝?斯希普斯在信件中写道：“因为希望自主选择结束生命的主要是老年人，新制度将仅限于老年群体。”

    她并没有明确年龄门槛。

    尽管细节有待制定，但新法律将规定安乐死需要得到“具有医学背景、经过特殊培训的‘安乐死执行者’的悉心指导和审批。”

    斯希普斯表示，法案还将包括第三方检查、复核和监管等安全机制。

    这一提案让人大跌眼镜，因为受命对这一想法进行研究的委员会的结论是没有必要允许现行政策扩展至“人生完整”的人。

    部长们不同意该结论。他们希望在与医生、伦理学家和其他专家的磋商下，于2017年年底前提交法律草案。