So to live, that one has also at the right time one’s will to death!

Subtitle:Humanist euthanasia advocacy in Flanders between the 1970’s and 1990’s. A story of personal choice and therapeutic tenacity

Abstract:Research on euthanasia advocacy outside of the Anglo-American sphere is rather scarce. Belgium, originally a Catholic country with now liberal laws concerning bioethical issues, has never been properly researched in this regard. Using my work on euthanasia advocacy within Flemish humanist organisations, this article presents the emergence of the end-of-life advocacy based on freedom of choice for the 1970s to the 1990s. Although tentatively present before this time, I argue that euthanasia advocacy in Belgium was only successful due to the lack of a eugenics connotation and the collaboration of humanist and liberal Catholic factions in the law-making process.

Publication year:2020

Keywords:euthanasia, mercy-killing, physician-assisted suicide, freedom of choice, therapeutic tenacity, Eugenics

Accessibility:Open

Review status:Peer-reviewed