At the biennal conference of the WFRtDS, held in Tokyo, Japan in oktober 2004, the board changed.
Elected as president of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies for 2004-6 was Jacob Kohnstamm (bottom row, second from the right), of the Netherlands, and as vice-president was Jacqueline Herremans (bottom row, second from the left) of Belgium. Both are attorneys.
Mr. Kohnstamm is chairman of Right-to-Die NL (NVVE) the second largest such organization in the world after the Japanese group. Aged 54, he spent 25 years as a politician, helping to mould the Dutch euthanasia laws, and is now full-time chairman of the Dutch Data Protection Authority.
Ms. Herremans, who will become president at the next world conference to be held in Toronto in 2006, is currently president of the Association for the Right to Die With Dignity, in Brussels. Since Belgium passed it euthanasia laws in 2002, she has been a member of the Federal Commission of Control and Evaluation
on the Law on Euthanasia.
Annelies Plaisant, of Florida (top row, second from the right), was re-elected treasurer of the World Federation, and Libby Drake (top row, third from the right) (UK) as Secretary, a post she has held for the past six years.
Faye Girsh (bottom row, middle) (USA) was elected newsletter editor in succession to Derek Humphry (top row, second from the left) (USA), who became an honorary board member in recognition of his 25 years of service to the World Federation.
Also see: The board 2004 – 2006