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- Subproject: Concern and detachment in moral life
- Subproject: Pantheism and personhood in classical German philosophy
- Subproject: Law and virtue in the Protestant tradition
- Subproject: Spinoza, freedom of speech and the common good
- Subproject: Kierkegaard and transparency thinking
- Subproject: Theological perspectives on meaningful family life
- Subproject: Medical ethics at the end of life
- Subproject: The moral position of family in end of life care for people with dementia
- Subproject: The contribution of military chaplains to moral formation
- Subproject: Law, ethics and polarisation in the Bible and ancient Judaism
Subproject: Medical ethics at the end of life
This project focuses on thinking about the Good in relation to euthanasia and assisted suicide in the Netherlands. The research focuses on a number of aspects that are not or hardly addressed in other research.
Personal experiences with euthanasia
The project included interviews with relatives of people who have received euthanasia. These have been compiled in the book Leven met euthanasie (2021). Subsequently, doctors were also interviewed about their experiences with euthanasia requests. These, too, will be published in a volume.
Theological and pastoral aspects of euthanasia
A second research topic concerns views on the self-chosen end of life from a Christian perspective. A key belief here is that God created life and life is a gift. Research was conducted into how Dutch church documents and publications by theologians have contributed to thinking about euthanasia in the Netherlands in recent decades. In addition, empirical research was conducted on how pastors of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands think about euthanasia and what their pastoral practice around euthanasia looks like.
Regional variation in euthanasia
There is considerable regional variation in the Netherlands when it comes to euthanasia. In this project, for the first time, that variation has been mapped and possible reasons for that variation investigated. In a doctoral study together with TUU and RUN, the region variation is concretely investigated in physician practices in two Dutch regions. Researchers from this subproject are also involved in ZonMw research on regional variation. Permission was recently received to repeat the previous regional variation study, which covered the period 2013-2017, for the years 2018-2023.
Experiences from a euthanasia review board
Another source for this study is data from a regional euthanasia review board. One of the researchers kept a record of the main background characteristics (age, pathology, natural life expectancy, etc.) of each report for ten years as well as some morally and theologically important characteristics.
Theological and ethical aspects of overtreatment
Research on overtreatment is being conducted in collaboration with American researchers. These studies will appear in a volume Cambridge University Press will publish in 2025.
Researchers
Key publications
- Stef Groenewoud, Theo Boer, Femke Atsma, Mina Arvin and Gert Westert, ‘Euthanasia in the Netherlands: a claims data cross-sectional study of geographical variation,’ BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care 2021;0:1–11. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjspcare-2020-002573.
- Theo Boer and Stef Groenewoud, ‘Dutch Reformed support for Assisted Dying in the Netherlands 1969-2019: An Analysis of the Views of Parishioners, Pastors, Opinion Makers, and Official Reports of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands’. Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics (JSCE) 41, 1 (spring/summer 2021), 125-47, https://doi.org/10.5840/jsce202161143.
- Jon Tilburt, Theo Boer, Heather Zeiger, and Maarten Verkerk (eds.), Overtreatment: European and American Perspectives. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2025.
