Eduard Verhagen (born 3 May 1962, Haarlem) is an attorney and the medical director of the department of pediatrics at the

University Medical Center Groningen The University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG, nl, Universitair Medisch Centrum Groningen), formerly Groningen University Hospital, is the main hospital in Groningen, Netherlands. The medical centre is affiliated with the University of Groningen ...

(UMCG). He is mainly known for his involvement in infant

euthanasia Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different eut ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Euthanasia is legal for patients over the age of 12 in the Netherlands. Verhagen, who studied both law and medicine, worked out a protocol with prosecutors and doctors in 2002 for infant euthanasia cases. This

Groningen Protocol The Groningen Protocol is a medical protocol created in September 2004 by Eduard Verhagen, the medical director of the department of pediatrics at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) in Groningen, the Netherlands. It contains directi ...

requires that the parents and teams of physicians and social workers agree that further treatment is futile. After a waiting period of several days, during which the parents can think over the decision and say goodbye, euthanasia is performed. The case records are subsequently turned over to the prosecutor's office. If this protocol is followed, prosecutors will refrain from pressing charges. In July 2005, this protocol was introduced nationwide in the Netherlands. In 2005, the ''

New England Journal of Medicine ''The New England Journal of Medicine'' (''NEJM'') is a weekly medical journal published by the Massachusetts Medical Society. It is among the most prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals as well as the oldest continuously published one. His ...

'' published an article by Verhagen and his colleague

Pieter Sauer Pieter is a male given name, the Dutch form of Peter. The name has been one of the most common names in the Netherlands for centuries, but since the mid-twentieth century its popularity has dropped steadily, from almost 3000 per year in 1947 to ...

outlining their protocol and documenting 22 cases of infant euthanasia that had been reported to the authorities between 1997 and 2004, with four of them occurring under Verhagen's supervision at his hospital. Verhagen and Sauer said the essay was intended to address "blood-chilling accounts and misunderstandings." As his motive, Verhagen states that he believes euthanasia to be justified in cases of unbearable suffering, and that it is an important decision that should only happen as the result of an open and honest discussion among the involved parties, rather than as a lone decision of a doctor who is afraid of the consequences. However, the Groningen Protocol is extremely controversial. Among others, Dr Rob de Jong openly questions the criteria used in the Groningen protocol, especially "unbearable suffering" and the "expected quality of life" in a critical appraisal. Another important argument against the Groningen protocol is that the 22 cases described are all children with

spina bifida Spina bifida (Latin for 'split spine'; SB) is a birth defect in which there is incomplete closing of the spine and the membranes around the spinal cord during early development in pregnancy. There are three main types: spina bifida occulta, m ...

, which is not considered a lethal disability. Erick Kodish has also harshly criticized the protocol and its premises in an article published in ''

The Lancet ''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal and one of the oldest of its kind. It is also the world's highest-impact academic journal. It was founded in England in 1823. The journal publishes original research articles, ...

'' where he has concluded inviting to resistance by means of civil disobedience against the medical institutionalization of infanticide.

Selected works

* ''Regulations regarding medical decisions at the end of life of severely ill newborns in the Netherlands'', in: Robertson-von Trotha, Caroline Y. (ed.): Tod und Sterben in der Gegenwartsgesellschaft. Eine interdisziplinäre Auseinandersetzung (= Kulturwissenschaft interdisziplinär/Interdisciplinary Studies on Culture and Society, Vol. 3), Baden-Baden 2008

Sources

* Crouch, Gregory.
A Crusade Born of a Suffering Infant's Cry
. ''The New York Times'', March 19, 2005. * Schwartz, John

''The New York Times'', March 10, 2005.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Verhagen, Eduard 1962 births Living people Dutch pediatricians People from Haarlem Academic staff of the University of Groningen Utrecht University alumni