According to the latest official statistics, the number of cases of euthanasia increased by 15% between 2012 and 2013, with 4,829 cases being reported. And this increase has continued since 2009, rising from 13% between 2008 and 2009 to 18% between 2010 and 2011.
Most of the cases of euthanasia concern cancer but there were also 97 cases of dementia and 42 psychiatric cases. Euthanasia currently represents 3% of all deaths in the Netherlands.
For Dr. Peter Saunders, however, the official statistics do not reflect reality: “these deaths only represent a fraction of the total number of deaths triggered by Dutch doctors who intentionally assist their patients to die by giving them an overdose of morphine, sedating them and withdrawing hydration“.
Bioedge (Michael Cook) 11/10/2014