ABSTRACT
This chapter, that highly resonates with the chapter by Willem Lemmens, postulates that the continuous and comprehensive moral reflection on the transgressive act of euthanasia is seriously under pressure. Moreover, it states that the euthanasia practice has not only changed into a rather procedural, legal practice, resulting into a ‘wavering conscience,’ as Lemmens argues, but that the physician’s conscience may even undergo more far-reaching changes (a ‘waiver of conscious deliberation’). The first section underpins these claims by providing three examples that show the potential harmful effects of (legal) incentives. The second part of the chapter argues that euthanasia may have lost much of its transgressive character, but nevertheless continues to be transgressive for many people and in many situations. Recent empirical findings are used to underpin this claim: (i) experiences of relatives of people who had euthanasia, (ii) remarkable regional differences in the uptake of euthanasia, and (iii) experiences of pastors and parishioners in the field of euthanasia. The conclusion is that the practice of euthanasia is best served if it remains perceived as both exceptional and transgressive.
