John, see

http://www.disclose.tv/forum/bullsh-t-rick-santorum-on-netherlands-and-it-s-abortions-t68026.html
http://www.boreme.com/posting.php?id=32493

And http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/22/dutch-puzzled-by-santorums-false-claim-they-practise-forced-euthanasia/

The following points can be concluded
- You got your information from an article that was translated and summarized from an official report with as certain bias (pro life politics)
- The article is based on a report OVER 20 YEARS (!!) old, that summarised data as old as 30 YEARS,
- The article was written while euthesia was still officially illegal. Only since 2001 we have official laws arround euthnesia
- Though euthnesia before the new laws was already practised for DECADES, you would not prosecuted when following certain guidelines
- Its nutcases like Rick Santorum that will dig up over 20 years old and outdated reports, spin it to his needs and poison the US voters to motivate them to vote against obamacare, because meanwhile his campaign is sponsored by pro-life groups. AND YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT ETHICS???

Most dutch people have been discraced by Rick Santorum putting the dutch healthcare system in such daylight, just by telling straight outright lies for his own personal motivations... Yeah, he's a real american politician... and the joe doe voter blindly believe this...

Look at the videos above they will tell you the whole story


How about a more recent report (See: http://www.euthanasiecommissie.nl/Images/JV%20RTE%202010%20ENGELS%20(EU12.01)_tcm52-30364.pdf)
According to a Dutch government report, experts who reviewed 2,667 requests for euthanasia in 2010 “found in nine cases that the physician had not acted in accordance with the due care criteria. In five of these cases, it was the way in which the euthanasia or assisted-suicide procedure was performed that was deemed not to comply with the criteria.”

Wow, yeah we are really talking about genocide of the sick and elderly up here.

But the main motivation and problem is that the conservative americans are affraid of progressive politics... hmmm where did i see this before:

- Gay rights started in the Netherlands. The netherlands was the first country in the world where gays could get married. Of course conservatives in the US were disgraced. But nowerdays more and more states in the US allow for the same
- The netherlands was about the first country in the world to legalise abortion, because it was recognised that there was a dire need for it. Illegal abortions led to deaths and permanent infertility. it was recognised that high quality information about abortion should be available and the procedure must be followed with great care. Again, initially a lot of moaning from conservative all over the world, but again this legalisation of abortion is gaining ground all over the world.
- Legalising drugs. Here also the dutch were on the forefront and did choose not to proescute the possession of 'soft' drugs, like pot/weed. It recognised that it could never win that war. In stead it puts a lot of energy in informing the public about the dangers of drugs with objective information rather than spinned conclusions. Again initially a lot of moaning from the rest of the world, esspecially from the right wing US politics, but now they more and more recognise there is need for legalising the use of drugs for at least some medical purposes.
- Euthnesia. Again the dutch were on the forefront of this, recognising that the religious pro-life standpoint could lead to unbearable suffering without and forecast to improvement in a patients mental and physical health. Its intent is to give patients the power to decide on their own how to end life. And here we are again, demystifying myths and outright spinned disinformation from rightwing religious zealots like rick santorum.

Wheter or not you like it, a common saying is "The dutch are always right" and history will prove it. But if you really want to make fun of the dutch, you better read this:

http://hennievandyk.bravepages.com/jokes.html
http://www.whatmakesthedutchtick.nl/?page=38