Euthanasia cases in Belgium are persistently rising year on year, with cancer remaining the primary justification for the procedure.
Last year witnessed a 15% growth in this area; 3,423 procedures were conducted, compared to 2,966 in 2022 and 2,699 in 2021, announced the Federal Control and Evaluation of Euthanasia Commission (FCEE) on Tuesday.
A significant case that marked 2023 was euthanasia carried out on a 16 year old girl with a brain tumour – a rare occurrence in the country. "There have been only five such cases since the law permitted it in 2014," stated Jacqueline Herremans, a lawyer and co-chair of the commission.
Cancer remains the primary justification for euthanasia, being the cause in over half (55.5%) of cases, mostly involving incurable tumours. However, as Herremans noted, multiple pathologies (23.2%) are becoming increasingly important factors in euthanasia procedures. While psychiatric conditions are also more frequently brought forth, they constitute a mere 1.4% of the total, or 48 individuals.
Herremans also observed a growing trend of foreign patient requests. Notably, 110 individuals living abroad specifically travelled to Belgium for euthanasia, the majority being French (101).
The FCEE is tasked with assessing every euthanasia file in Belgium and ensuring all legal conditions have been met. If a significant condition violation is suspected, the case is handed to the Justice department. However, this remains very infrequent and did not occur in 2023.
Lastly, most euthanasia declarations received by the commission are in Dutch (70.8%).
