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On 17th June 2003, Mr David Taylor, a Labour/Co-op MP with a Christian Socialist background, introduced a Ten Minute Rule Motion:

On 6th June, Lord Joffe’s Patient (Assisted Dying) Bill was, in keeping with tradition, given an unopposed second reading by members of the House of Lords.

The growing notoriety of Dignitas’ work has prompted members of the Swiss parliament to introduce two Private Member’s Bills to prevent “suicide tourism” to Switzerland. These Bills also threaten the availability of assisted suicide for Swiss citizens.

Following the publication in June of a report by the University of Zurich, the Swiss Senate has decided to put forward a new proposal for a law on euthanasia and assisted suicide.

The University of Zurich’s new report, which forms part of the European Commission-sponsored study of end-of-life decision making in six European countries (see above), examined 3,350 deaths in German-speaking Switzerland and found that half were preceded by an end-of-life decision. Compared with its European neighbours, Switzerland was also found to have the highest number of cases of assisted suicide.

On the 23rd May 2003, Professors Van der Wal and Van der Maas presented their long awaited third report on euthanasia in the Netherlands (also known as the Remmelink report).

On 10th June 2003 NVVE’s psychologist, Martine Cornelisse, was found not guilty of assisting a suicide by the Den Bosch court.

On April 10, 2003, the Groningen courts made the first conviction of a Dutch citizen who is not a practising doctor for assisting a suicide. Mr Willem Muns who works for Stichting De Einder Noord (a society that offers support and information to persons considering voluntary euthanasia) was given a six-months suspended sentence and two years probation (He had spent 50 days in jail before the court-case).

On the 17th June 2003, The Lancet published a report entitled ‘End-of-life decision-making in six European countries: descriptive study’, which examines the frequency and characteristics of end-of-life decision-making practices in Belgium (Flanders), Denmark, Italy (four areas), the Netherlands, Sweden and the German-speaking part of Switzerland.

The Convention on the Future of Europe is a temporary body set up by the European Union (EU) Heads of Government in February 2002 to simplify the EU Treaty and identify necessary institutional reform in preparation for 2004 when 10 more states will become members of the Union. The Convention has a total of 105 members, representing national governments, national parliaments, the European Parliament and the European Commission.

The Joint Committee on Human Rights is appointed by the House of Lords and the House of Commons to consider matters relating to human rights in the United Kingdom. All of its members are former lawyers or academics.

Future notice: On 6th June a Patient (Assisted Dying) Bill will proceed to its second reading in the House of Lords.

On 15 January a resolution that would radically change Luxembourg law on euthanasia was narrowly defeated in the Luxembourg parliament.