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Policy Plan End-of-Life Management Foundation

Vision of the Foundation

We want to give a voice to the Dutch citizens who want to end their own lives under their own direction as much as possible. We want to amend the current Dutch Euthanasia legislation with the Proposal End-of-Life Management Act, in which the applicants for euthanasia can determine themselves their reasons for their wish to die and if so, has the right to receive euthanasia. The End-of-Life Counselor checks whether the euthanasia wish is voluntary, well-considered and whether the applicant has been properly informed about his (medical and/or psychological) situation and treatment options. The End-of-Life counselor provides further assistance, but will not assess the reasons of the applicant to ask for euthanasia out of respect for self-determination of the applicant. The doctor also will not assess the applicant’s reasons and the doctor will (voluntarily) carry out the euthanasia with careful medical care.

Mission of Foundation

Our goal is that politicians will acknowledge the wishes of the Dutch population regarding their own end-of-life management. We do not want that in the Dutch Legislative Assembly, and especially in the political coalition formation, the opinion of the vast majority of the population on legalizing End-of-Life Aid to be ignored. We want to influence politicians and the public opinion to bring about improved Euthanasia legislation with the Proposal of the End-of-Life Management Act.

Long-term objective of the Foundation

We want to amend the current Dutch Euthanasia legislation to make personal End-of-Life Management possible under well-regulated conditions.

Policy activities of the Foundation

Politics

  1. Approaching political parties, relevant organizations and individuals.
  2. Setting up a Citizens’ Initiative on the End-of-Life Management Act (by obtaining 40,000 signatures of supporters of the Proposal of the End-of-Life Act to get the Act on the agenda of the House of Representatives).
  3. Carrying out public actions.
  4. Conducting relevant legal cases regarding the legitimacy of the current Euthanasia Act and of the due care requirements in this Act.
  5. If necessary: Litigation against the Dutch Government over the unethical parts of the current Euthanasia legislation.
  6. If necessary: Organizing a Citizens’ Council on the Proposal of the End-of-Life Act versus the current Euthanasia Act.

Publicity

  1. Publishing articles in medical, psychological and nursing/care professional journals and newspapers; national and international. The chairman has written articles on this subject in Medisch Contact (Royal Dutch Association of Medicine), De Psycholoog (Dutch Institute of Psychology) and in a number of newspapers.
  2. Advertising on TV, in newspapers, on Facebook and other social media.
  3. Distributing information material.
  4. Providing information in the form of interactive lectures or guest lectures or panel discussions at the medical, psychological, nursing and legal faculties of universities and of higher professional education organizations.
  5. Giving presentations.
  6. Participating in documentaries.

End-of-life Management

  1. Researching into the experiences with terminal palliative sedation (by the independent research organization Motivaction). In research already conducted on behalf of the chairman this sedation is experienced as restless and uncomfortable by 1 out of 6 patients (N=1.055).
  2. Developing an End-of-Life Counselor training (by a multidisciplinary team).

Last Will Means (LWM)

  1. Investigating the possibility of legal purchase of LWM by competent people under well-regulated conditions.