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Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
Bereavement leave in the event of euthanasia: will it be possible to change one’s mind?
In Belgium, workers are entitled to special leave for certain family events, civil obligations or legal proceedings. Bereavement leave, the duration of which depends on the relationship to the deceased, is one such form of leave. In February 2026, a bill proposed by the MR aimed at ‘making the bereavement leave...
Abortion
Belgium – Proposed liberalisation of abortion laws: 12, 14 or 18 weeks – a scientific question or an ethical choice?
The Belgian Minister for Justice, Annelies Verlinden (CD&V), announced in early June that a bill would shortly be tabled to substantially amend the current legislation on abortion. The bill proposes, in particular,...
Illness & Disability
Belgium: care for people with disabilities under scrutiny from the UN
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a United Nations mechanism responsible for assessing the human rights situation in each member state every five years, under the auspices of the Human Rights Council. During its...
Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
Alberta (Canada): a setback for the expansion of euthanasia?
With Bill 18,the Safeguards for Last Resort Termination of Life Act, the Canadian province of Alberta intends to restrict access to medical assistance in dying (MAID). Introduced in March 2026 and passed at third...
Surrogacy
Surrogacy: between freedom-restricting contracts and eugenic abortions
The issue of regulating surrogacy continues to be a subject of debate across Europe, and particularly in Belgium. Regulating a practice that involves, on the one hand, the provision of a person – the surrogate mother – whose reproductive functions are hired for nine months, and, on the other hand,...
Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
Euthanasia in cases of advanced dementia: a further extension of Belgian law?
When, in November 2025, Belgium’s Bioethics Advisory Committee issued an opinion in favour of extending euthanasia to cases of advanced dementia, it was expected that such a stance would reignite parliamentary debate on...
Abortion
Criminalisation of abortion prior to 1990 in Belgium: towards recognition of ‘harm’?
The Belgian Federal Parliament is currently considering a draft resolution aimed at recognising the harm suffered by individuals convicted under criminal provisions criminalising abortion prior to its partial...
Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide
United Kingdom – Assisted suicide bill fails: ‘We need more care, not more deaths’
The bill to decriminalise assisted suicide in England and Wales was ultimately not passed. Friday 24 April, the final day of the parliamentary session, marked the end of lengthy debates in the House of Lords, which had...
In the spotlight
All the news
Bereavement leave in the event of euthanasia: will it be possible to change one’s mind?
Belgium – Proposed liberalisation of abortion laws: 12, 14 or 18 weeks – a scientific question or an ethical choice?
Belgium: care for people with disabilities under scrutiny from the UN
Alberta (Canada): a setback for the expansion of euthanasia?
Surrogacy: between freedom-restricting contracts and eugenic abortions
Euthanasia in cases of advanced dementia: a further extension of Belgian law?
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