An assisted suicide conviction upheld in Holland

The Hague, Netherlands.-- An appeals court convicted Philip Sutorius of giving lethal pills to a patient without cause and the Supreme Court has now upheld the conviction.

Edward Brongersma was healthy but "tired of living" so his family doctor, Philip Sutorius, helped him kill himself. Although tried and convicted, Sutorious received no fine or jail sentence in court because the court considered that this violation of the assisted suicide law in Holland was "so minor that any form of punishment would be inappropriate," according to the AP.

Brongersma was 86 and, although healthy, did not want to experience physical deterioration. Dutch law says that permissible assisted suicide involved unbearable pain with no hope of recovery. Clearly Brongersma did not qualify.

The law went into effect in April.

Prior to the passage of this law, euthanasia in Holland was widespread and tolerated. Although illegal, assisted suicide and active euthanasia have not been prosecuted in recent years and there have been many reports of involuntary euthanasia.

Partial information source: Associated Press; December 25, 2002 as quoted in the Pro-Life Infonet 12/28/02 #2599  The Pro-Life Infonet is a daily compilation of pro-life news and information. To subscribe, send the message "subscribe" to: infonet-request@prolifeinfo.org. Infonet is sponsored by Women and Children First (http://www.womenandchildrenfirst.org). For more pro-life info visit http://www.prolifeinfo.org and for questions or additional information email ertelt@prolifeinfo.org