Once again, the Netherlands has braved the storm. Last week, the country's Senate, the upper house of Parliament, passed a bill legalizing euthanasia. When Queen Beatrix signs the law, which was passed by the lower house last November, the Netherlands will be the first country to permit mercy killing. The move unleashed a wave of criticism and opened worldwide debate on the issue.
As befits a question this controversial, the Dutch debated the matter slowly and methodically. The discussion unfolded over three decades before the bill was introduced in Parliament last year. All voices were heard. By the time the legislation was tabled, 90 percent of the Dutch public approved of a humane alternative to painful death.
This is not the first time that the Netherlands has forthrightly tackled social issues in Parliament. Earlier, the country legalized prostitution and marriage between people of the same sex. In each of these cases, the government has taken a practical view: It has decriminalized conduct that was widespread, eliminating the fear of prosecution or the possibility of persecution resulting from discriminatory law enforcement.