End of Life Care Research Group, Department of Medical Sociology and Health Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan, 103, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
Correspondence to: J L Bernheim,[email protected]
Accepted: 3 January 2008
This study is dedicated to the memory of Henk Pelser (Amsterdam) and Yvon Kenis (Brussels), humanist physicians. We thank Carlos Centeno-Cortes, Heidi Blumhuber, Etienne De Groot, Ruddy Verbinnen, and Léon Favyts for historical information. Johan Vanoverloop did the statistical calculations. We thank Dina Declerck, Paul Schotsmans, and Bert Vanderhaeghen for critical comments and Jane R Mayes for corrections in the manuscript.
Funding: Supported by Grant No HOA2, Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
Competing interests: None declared.
Contributors and sources: JLB and WD were actors in both the palliative care and legalisation of euthanasia movements and explicit promoters of the synergy idea. AM is the head of the regional palliative care network of Bruge and president of the Flemish Palliative Care Federation. The article is based on historical records, epidemiological studies, regulatory guidelines, scientific and lay press publications by advocates and opponents of the legalisation of euthanasia, and personal experience of the clinicians. We presented our data and arguments at various national and international scientific and professional palliative care meetings including the International Association of Bioethics and the European Association for Palliative Care. JLB took the initiative for this paper, wrote it, and consulted the other authors to improve it. RD, JB, LD provided much of the epidemiological data. JLB is the guarantor.
Provenance and peer review: Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.
