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The recent development of experiments with chimeras (i.e. an individual carrying cells with different DNA) could stir our imagination by the spectre of fabulous and frightening creatures. Above all, it raises fundamental ethical questions. Although this research is still in its infancy and is currently limited to fairly isolated experiments, it arouses the interest of the international scientific community and challenging legislators. In February 2018, at the congress of the American As...

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On 28 May 2002, Belgium became the second country to decriminalise euthanasia, i.e. the act of "intentionally ending a person's life at the latter's request" because of his state of health. After twenty years of applying the Belgian law on euthanasia, and given the current critical debates on the subject, it is essential to take stock of the practice of euthanasia in Belgium and draw some perspectives on its recent and future developments.

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Suffering was nonetheless the main argument put forward by the French Minister of Health and Sports in 2010: "Measuring the psychological impact of abortion via a survey conducted with women who have taken this step has encountered obstacles that are difficult to overcome. It is in fact essential to avoid a method of surveying the women concerned that could jeopardize their concealment of their abortion from their family and friends. It seems, moreover, insensitive to spur women who have not...

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On 28 February 2014 a law was enacted "amending the Act of 28 May 2002 on euthanasia in order to extend it to minors"1. Belgium thus became the first and only country to authorise euthanasia of minors without specifying that any conditions with respect to their age should be met. Some people welcomed it, underlining the "pioneering" role Belgium played in establishing a legal framework for euthanasia, which was presented as the ultimate "humanitarian act" of which any patient, major or...

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A chorus of praise accompanied the awarding of the Nobel Prize in Medicine to Professor Edwards, inventor of in vitro fertilisation (IVF). However, there remain numerous objections. Already, by dissociating sexual intercourse and procreation, human artificial insemination had opened the way for, with the gift of sperm, the deliberate dissociation between biological paternity and “social pa-ternity”. New family secrets were encouraged. With IVF, embryos are no longer conceived under the pro...

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Playing tennis in your head The case which has clearly contributed the most to broadcasting the issue of people in a persistent vegetative state is the one of Terri Schiavo.  In medical history, persistent vegetative state (PVS) is relatively recent (start of the 70s). The technical developments in intensive care made during the 60s have in effect allowed patients, showing a serious deterioration of brain functioning, to survive. Most recently, two teams - one directed by the ...

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The purpose of this report is to describe the Belgian model of end of life care that, since 2002, has aimed at developing "palliative care for all", while nonetheless authorizing the practice of euthanasia under certain conditions. The thirteen years since the passage of this decree have culminated in a clash between two opinions:  * one affirms that the decriminalization of euthanasia has truly enabled the development of continuous, palliative care; * the other, conversely, stresses that ...

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This dossier aims to give an overview of the European embryo research framework. Stem cell research is one of the most promising areas of biotechnology, offering science the prospect of understanding cell differentiation and growth, of developing new methodologies to repair or replace damaged tissues or cells of the human body, and of understanding diseases development. One of the possible sources for stem cells are human pre-implantation embryos. Pre-implantation embryos are embryos prior to...

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Until now, only three countries in the world have decriminalised euthanasia: the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. This practice is available only to people who are mentally competent when they apply (if necessary, via a declaration in advance requesting euthanasia). A notable exception to the voluntary nature of the request for euthanasia concerns newborns who face suffering that is deemed intolerable and who have no prospect of enjoying an acceptable “quality of life” at any point in the ...

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May 28, 2012 marks the 10th anniversary of the legalisation of euthanasia in Belgium,  with the Netherlands following suit a year earlier and Luxembourg doing the same in 2009 6. To date, these three Benelux countries are the only ones to have legalised the act of intentionally killing a person who makes such a request. At a time when legalisation of euthanasia is being debated in several European countries, notably in France, it would appear appropriate to take stock of the last 10 years of ...

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