Euthanasia in the Netherlands: The Policy and Practice of Mercy Killing.

• Position: Brief Article - Book Review

Cohen-Almagor, Raphael. Euthanasia in the Netherlands: The Policy and Practice of Mercy Killing. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2004.

This book addresses the pitfalls of policy-making where euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are concerned. The author's views offer an interdisciplinary study in medicine, law, religion and ethics; cover a wide range of theoretical and practical issues concerning the end of life; and are based on interviews conducted in hospitals, research centers and universities in the Netherlands. It is designed for academic fora and will appeal to legislatures and judges who make the decisions and judgments necessary to protect the fabric of society in the face of technological medicine.

After reviewing the evidence, the author concludes that the Dutch...