The euthanasia law is unconstitutional. That is the conclusion the Constitutional Court brought out last week, on Thursday 20 October.
An extraordinary conclusion with far-reaching consequences... in a good sense. Because doctors who make a procedural mistake during a euthanasia cannot be prosecuted for poison murder from now on.
As of 2019, Walter Van Steenbrugge was counsel for a doctor who had exactly that happen to him, Joris Van Hove. He acted in good faith and in accordance with the basic terms of the law. But due to procedural errors, he nevertheless ended up in the assize court, accused of poison murder, along with two other doctors. The so-called euthanasia trial.
Walter and Johan reconstruct one of the most high-profile trials of recent decades and interpret the importance of the Constitutional Court's ruling. "Since the euthanasia trial, euthanasia is again happening more on the sly. That can now turn around."
- Mr Johan Vande Lanotte and Mr Walter Van Steenbrugge
