Belgian "euthanasia doctor" accused of five murders
BRUSSELS, Aug. 3, 2005A doctor from the Belgian coastal town of Oostende is accused of murdering five elderly patients in a nursing home in the past three years, local newspaper "Het Nieuwsblad" reported on Wednesday.
The paper said the victims -- all of whom were suffering from dementia -- died after being injected with a lethal dose of morphine.
The doctor, identified only as Boudewijn D.W., admitted administering the treatment, but denied murdering his patients.
He was arrested on Friday but was then released on Tuesday morning. It was reported that the case is still under investigation.
The doctor claimed that he only wanted to end his patients' suffering and that he had discussed giving them injections with their families and nursing staff.
However, the nursing home Sint-Monica in Oostende reported the deaths to authorities and the doctor was arrested on suspicion of five murders.
Belgium's law permits euthanasia if strict procedures are followed, but nursing home spokesman Alex Daenekindt denied that the five deaths were a form of euthanasia.
Furthermore, an Oostende lawyer said euthanasia regulations arevery precise, pointing out that the request must come from the patient and that the doctor must be certain the patient is suffering from an incurable illness.
A second medical opinion must be sought and the nursing team should be consulted along with the patient's family. The medical dossier must then report all of these steps and outline the conclusions.