ctually be gone for good" (So what? 50). Although Kok has resigned, he has shown signs of wanting to stick around. His stay will all depend on whether or not the old coalition can put itself back together again. If it does not, then Kok will probably remain in office to take care of matters until the next general election. "Either way, it is a safe bet that little will change in the way the prosperous Dutch are ruled" (So what? 50).In addition to the political stir caused by the 1998 election, there are also a couple pieces of legislation that are cause some trouble of their own. The first is the euthanasia law in the Netherlands. As it is everywhere else, assisted suicide is illegal in the Netherlands. However, on August 10th, the Dutch ministers of justice and health proposed a bill that would allow for children as young as 12 to be assisted in committing suicide, even if their parents disagree (Spanjer 660). The bill will also set up a set of strict criteria that, if followed, will protect doctors from prosecution. "This will end a 15 year anomaly whereby doctors performing euthanasia committed a serious crime but avoided prosecution if similar, though non-statutory criteria, were met" (Sheldon 467). The question that everyone is asking is, "Why would the government want to make assisted suicide legal?". "Research shows that only 41 per cent of an estimated 3600 euthanasia cases each year are reported by doctors to the authorities. By removing euthanasia from a criminal context, the government hopes to increase this figure" (Sheldon 467). The Royal Dutch Medical Association seems to support the idea, but they are almost the only ones. "Dr Karel Gunning of the World Federation of Doctors Who Respect Human Life fears that the proposals give doctors too much freedom as the review committees base their judgments solely on a report which the doctors themselves have written" (Sheldon 467).Along with doctors all over the world...
