An international independent organization working to secure human rights for all humans, known as the Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life Global Outreach (MCCL GO) plans on making waves during the Human Rights Council’s upcoming review of the Netherlands. You see, the MCCL GO argues that the Dutch practices of euthanasia and assisted suicide are violations of  human rights protected by international treaties.

Scott Fischbach, executive director of MCCL GO contends that thousands of Dutch citizens are intentionally exterminated every year through these practices. Fischbach says, “Some are killed because they have dementia or psychiatric problems, like depression or post-traumatic stress. And some mentally incompetent patients are killed even though they have made no request to die.”

A 2016 study that was recently published by the Journal of the American Medical Association Psychiatry found that many patients who are euthanized for mental health reasons exhibited social isolation and loneliness. The researchers also found that the majority of euthanasia cases involved patients suffering with a depressive disorder. Fishbach feels that the mental healthcare these patients are receiving is not good enough.  He stated that “The mental health of some Dutch patients has not been adequately addressed.”

Of course, in countries such as the Netherlands, where healthcare is completely socialized, the appeal of human euthanasia and assisted suicide is easy to understand. Dead people are cheaper, why let someone who may not ever get better continue to drain valuable resources away from other people? This is the ultimate end of totally socialized healthcare: some people get treated, some people die so other people can be treated.

There are many concerns surrounding the Dutch laws in place for euthanasia procedures. One particularly concerning tidbit is that children as young as 12 may request the procedure, even if they don’t have a terminal disease. There is also the Groningen Protocol, which essentially gives doctors the right to end babies’ lives if they don’t seem fit for survival.

Ultimately though, patients do not really get to make the decision to end their lives — their doctors do.

The real problem with all of this, is that this kind of legislation gives medical professionals the chance to play god.  It allows doctors to choose whose life is worth saving and whose is not; it allows them to dictate who will get better and who won’t.

Sources:

LifeNews.com

ArchPsyc.JAMANetwork.com

NEJM.org

MCCL-GO.org