Living will - euthanasia

This page has been automatically translated from French into English by a translation software. Automatic translations are not as accurate as translations made by professional human translators. Nevertheless these pages can help you understand information published by the City of Brussels.

Living will

A living will (advance directives or advance decisions) is a document in which persons record their will for the medical care they want or do not want to receive if they lose the capacity to express themselves or if they are in a state where they are not capable of taking this decision anymore.

Population service

The Population service of the City of Brussels offers the possibility of registering this will concerning euthanasia. The form will be given on simple demand or can be downloaded here in French and Dutch:

• Form for living will concerning euthanasia (PDF, 0,04MB) (French)
• Form for living will concerning euthanasia (PDF, 0,04MB) (Dutch)

Once the statement is completed, it is important that the person concerned is capable of expressing his or her will in an explicit way.

Validity of the living will

This declaration is only valid when:

• it was drafted according to the model form prescribed by law
• it was made or confirmed less than 5 years before the beginning of the impossibility for the patient of showing his or her will
• it was made in the presence of 2 major witnesses, of which at least 1 does not benefit from the death

This declaration can also appoint 1 or several persons who, when the time comes, will inform the doctor of the choices that were taken. These persons have to sign the form. It is however imperative that at least 1 of these persons is not a part of the family.

Modification of the living will

The patient can delete or adapt his advance directives at any time. Euthanasia will only be executed if the person concerned is affected by a grave and incurable accidental or pathological affection, and if he or she is unconscious and if his or her state is considered irreversible.

Attention: the declaration of the living will must be renewed every 5 years!

Information on euthanasia

2 associations give further information about the law on euthanasia:

• Association pour le Droit de Mourir dans la Dignité - French-language
  Rue du Président 55 - 1050 Brussels
  Tel. 02 502 04 85
  Fax: 02 502 61 50
  info@admd.be
  [plan]

• LEIF (LevensEinde InformatieForum) - Dutch-language
  J. Vander Vekenstraat 158
  1780 Wemmel
  Tel. 078 15 11 55
  
• Recht op Waardig Sterven (RWS) - Dutch-language
  Lange Gasthuisstraat 45
  2000 Antwerp
  Tel. 03 272 51 63
  info@rws.be