All news (Belgium)

After the birth of two daughters conceived through artificial reproduction with a gamete donor, a woman asked the fertilization center for access to the donor's identifying and non-identifying information, without any medical reason. When UZ Brussel refused, the mother and one of her daughters turned to the Brussels Court of First Instance. The 2007 law “relating to medically assisted procreation and the destination of supernumerary embryos and gametes” stipulates that a...

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Every year in Belgium, tens of thousands of people and their families could benefit from such care, according to the Palliative Care Indicators Tool (PICT). This tool identifies patients in need of palliative care, based on criteria of frailty, incurability and severity of illness. Palliative care is not reserved solely for patients with a vital prognosis of less than 3 months, or for cancer sufferers. On the contrary, anyone suffering from a serious, progressive illness with no possible cure...

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This Shakespearean tragedy has been revisited by Peruvian playwright Chela De Ferrari and her “Teatro La Plaza” company, made up of eight actors, all of whom have Down's syndrome. They tell us their dreams, their hopes, their struggles to be considered as people, autonomous, capable of love, as well as their claim to be different. They share their suffering and their desire to be understood. They believe that “theater is perhaps the last resort” because it...

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The fact that the negative perception of people with disabilities leads to a high rate of abortions due to Down's syndrome is in practice linked to the widespread use of the NIP-test as a screening method in Belgium. This non-invasive blood test is routinely offered to pregnant women, and is fully reimbursed by the Belgian state. Although healthcare providers are supposed to leave the choice to couples faced with the news of a disability, more than 95% of pregnancies are nevertheless...

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In terms of bioethics, it remains to be seen whether the CRPD will examine the social and ethical implications of widespread prenatal screening for Down's syndrome in Belgium, using the NIP-test. This non-invasive blood test is routinely offered to pregnant women, and is fully reimbursed by the Belgian state. There is no official campaign to encourage women and couples to keep the child or, conversely, to have an abortion if a trisomy is detected (particularly for Down’s syndrome,...

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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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