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Left to right, standing: Libby Drake (Australia, secretary), Jacob Kohnstamm (Netherlands), Annelies Plaisant (Florida, USA, treasurer), Dr. Michio Arakawa (Japan), Jacqueline Herremans (Belgium), Dr. Michael Irwin (UK, president), and Dr. Richard MacDonald (USA). Seated: Juana Betancor (Spain, vice- president), Derek Humphry (USA, newsletter editor), Dr. Libby Wilson (UK).

Dr. Juan Mendoza-Vega (Colombia)

The World Conference in Brussels provided the opportunity to listen to numerous presentations from experts in the field. None of us, however, could hear every presentation. I would do a disservice to our presenters, therefore, if I attempted to summarize the work of each presenter in just a few words.

Before going to Brussels, my Berlitz guidebook told me that the people of this city “resolved long ago to have a good time, come what may, and their stoic enjoyment of life is very contagious “. And, with over a hundred different Belgian beers available, it was certainly a great place and occasion, last September, to celebrate the fact that Belgium had legalized (by a final vote of 86 to 51) physician-assisted dying in May 2002.

The Belgian law on euthanasia came into force on 23 September 2002. To avoid misunderstandings or misinterpretations (I have read everything and its contrary about this law since the last months), it seems important to stress its main elements:

Volume 327, Number 7408 of the British Medical Journal (26 July 2003) provided a series of articles exploring the question, “What is a good death?” One article examines the effects of euthanasia on

On 9th September VES UK published ‘The Quality of Mercy’, a comprehensive review of existing research on assisted dying and physical illness in the UK. ‘The Quality of Mercy’ demonstrates that the UK law has forced assisted dying underground, with the result that vulnerable people are not protected.

This study provides a retrospective analysis of all assisted suicide case files kept by Exist Deutsche Schweiz between 1990 and 2000.

This study was published in Volume 327, Number 7408 of the British Medical Journal (26 July 2003) which explored the question, “What is a good death?”

This study was published in Volume 327, Number 7408 of the British Medical Journal (26 July 2003) which explored the question, “What is a good death?”

In August the Dutch Ministers of Health and Justice rejected a call from the attorney general, Joan de Wijkerslooth, for “terminal sedation” to be covered by the same legal controls as (voluntary) euthanasia.

Mr de Wijkerslooth, who is head of the public prosecution service, argued that because terminal sedation can have the same effect as euthanasia it should be subject to same external controls.

On 2nd October, Christine Malèvre began her controversial appeal against her sentence for the murder of six terminally ill cancer patients.

On 26th September Vincent Humbert died after his mother Marie Humbert injected a lethal dose of barbiturates into his intravenous drip. Four days later, his doctor claimed responsibility for his death. The publicity that has ensued from the case of Vincent Humbert has revitalised national debate on the subject of mercy-killing and prompted the French National Assembly to set up a Commission to investigate issues relating to the ‘end of life’.