The correlation between the Dutch mortality statistics and the changes in attitude and policy in the Netherlands with regards to Euthanasia, tell a chilling story. There is a clear deviation from the European averages for the Netherlands in the mortality statistics which directly parallel the legalization of Euthanasia. The willingness to palliate with life shortening effect seems to be one of the largest unforeseen byproducts.

In this presentation, Henk Reitsema, whose grandfather fell prey to a system that has become accustomed to hastening death, will examine the current situation in the Netherlands, looking at the change in the perception of what it is to be compassionate, how this played out in the embrace of euthanasia and drawing out the lessons that can be learned for the rest of humanity.

Henk Reitsema is a founding member of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition in Europe and is currently on the board of ELCE (End of Life Care Europe). His involvement with euthanasia, includes the circumstances surrounding the death of his grandfather in a Dutch home of care for the elderly. His academic pursuits include degrees in Philosophy, Theology and Ethics. His most recent post graduate work has been in the Philosophy of Science and Technology at the Free University in Amsterdam. He has published a variety of articles both scientific and popular in the disciplines of Philosophy, Science and Technology, Apologetics, and Ethics.