Luxembourg permits both euthanasia and assisted suicide
Following the Netherlands and Belgium, Luxembourg became the third country in Europe to legalize both euthanasia and assisted suicide. The law, which took effect on April 1, 2009, grants doctors legal immunity from “penal sanctions” and civil lawsuits if they directly kill or assist the suicide of a patient with a “grave and incurable condition,” who has repeatedly asked to die. The doctor must first consult another physician to verify the patient’s condition.
Luxembourg’s Grand Duke Henri had refused to sign the euthanasia bill into law-a requirement mandated by the nation’s constitution. Parliamentary supporters were so intent on legalizing euthanasia, that they passed a constitutional amendment to eliminate that requirement and reduce the monarch’s power. [Brit. Med. Journal, 3/24/09]
