On March 3, 2020 in Belgium, the Federal Control Commission for Evaluating Euthanasia (“CFCEE”) enumerated 2655 official cases of euthanasia in 2019; 12.5% more than the previous year.
The majority of the individuals were aged 60 to 89, with 67.8% over age 70. Most acts of euthanasia were performed at home, following illnesses such as cancer (62.5%) and multiple pathologies (17.3%).
In 2019 one minor was euthanized, representing the fourth child since the 2002 law on euthanasia was extended to include minors in February 2014.
The number of euthanasia cases continues to increase annually, as shown in the graph by the European Institute of Bioethics (“EIB”).
The “EIB” declared that death was not expected in the short term for 448 people. The “majority” of these individuals suffered from multiple pathologies (a combination of several conditions, none of which is “fatal” alone, although the patient’s prognosis was “not likely to improve, and would lead to serious illnesses, including organ failure.”). In addition, a controversial point includes the fact that almost 50 people with mental and behavioral disorders were euthanized in 2019.
