All news (Belgium)

Carrier screening is a test carried out before conception for couples who are at risk of passing on a genetic disease to their offspring. Ghent University Hospital recently asked the government to reimburse the cost of these genetic tests for all couples who wish to undergo them. In the event of such a reimbursement, the more systematic use of preconception tests would raise serious concerns. In future, if a risk of genetic disease were detected, would couples really be free not to turn to in ...

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In the new Penal Code, "loss of pregnancy", whether or not intentionally induced, is classed as an "act of violence" resulting in third-degree bodily harm. Unlike under the old Code, the intention to cause the loss of pregnancy is now taken into account (Art. 214). This offence is punishable by a level 4 penalty (as opposed to a level 3 penalty if the perpetrator did not intend to cause the loss of pregnancy). Article 215 provides for a level 5 penalty if the loss of pregnancy results in the...

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"According to studies, nearly 30% of women are at risk of suffering from post-traumatic stress one month after losing their unborn child. I don't want to ignore that.” This reality, highlighted by the Minister for the Civil Service, Petra de Sutter, called for better recognition of the pain experienced by women and couples faced with this ordeal. Until now, women who suffered a miscarriage before 180 days of pregnancy (6 months) were only entitled to sick leave (maternity leave is only g...

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More and more teenagers in Belgium are taking puberty blockers to halt the sexual development of their bodies during adolescence. In just three years, 60% more of them have been prescribed these hormone treatments by their doctors, in an attempt to relieve the unease they feel about their biological sex. They are 684 young people between the ages of 9 and 17 in 2022, compared with 432 in 2019, reveals a survey carried out by the De Morgen (24/01/2024). Half of them are being treated at the...

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The figures for 2023 also confirm the increase in euthanasia for polypathologies (+3% compared with 2022), the second most common type of illness mentioned, after cancer. Euthanasia for multiple diseases thus accounts for 23.2% of all euthanasia, almost half of which (47%) were carried out when death was not expected in the short term. As the Commission points out, polypathologies refer to "a combination of suffering caused by several chronic conditions that are progressing towards a final...

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To develop this proposal, the Amfora association organises training courses for palliative care networks, care for the elderly and institutions for the disabled, to help them conduct and develop end-of-life interviews. Amfora also works with the Samana association, to train their volunteers to work with people at the end of their lives. These interviews are an original and creative way of developing the fourth pillar of palliative care, which aims to meet patients' spiritual and existential...

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The bill is particularly opposed by many healthcare professionals, who see the constitutionalization of abortion as a direct threat to their freedom of conscience. In the event of the constitutionalization of abortion, Emmanuel Sapin, Professor of Pediatric and Neonatal Surgery, calls for the right of healthcare professionals to conscientious objection to abortion to be enshrined in the Constitution. In a letter co-signed by numerous healthcare professionals...

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This case of Mortier v. Belgium, named after the applicant, the son of the euthanized person, was the first case in which the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) was called upon to assess the compatibility of euthanasiaalready practiced with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Tom Mortier alleged a violation of his mother's right to life, protected by Article 2 of the Convention, and of his right to respect for his private and family life, protected by Article 8 of the...

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As a reminder, the law passed in 2020 first provides that 'no written or unwritten clause can prevent a doctor from performing euthanasia'. This provision aims to de facto prohibit retirement homes or hospitals whose care project excludes the fact of ending the life of their residents or patients by euthanasia, and which favor accompaniment through palliative care. The applicant citizens, as well as the European Institute of Bioethics, the intervener in the action, considered that such a...

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In terms of the physician's intentions, the study distinguishes three situations. In the first scenario, the physician does not intend to cause or hasten the baby's death, but considers the potential effect of hastening death (e.g., decision not to administer antibiotics, administration of morphine or sedatives). The second scenario consists in the situation where the potential effect of hastening death is not the primary goal but is partly aimed at by the physician. The third scenario is that...

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