As much as the Dutch government would like to stay as far away as possible from the American presidential election, they would like it to be known that, despite what Rick Santorum might say, their country's laws do not permit forced euthanasia in any way. So, when Santorum declared at the American Heartland Forum in Columbia, Mo., earlier this month that 5 percent of all deaths in the Netherlands were caused by involuntary euthanasia, he wasn't exactly telling the truth. Dutch law does permit euthanasia, but only when it's voluntary. And the amount of people who choose to end their lives through euthanasia account for only 2 percent of the country's deaths, not 5 percent like Santorum alleged. The presidential candidate's statement was somewhat overlooked until it was mocked by the Dutch press and proved false.
Read it at New York Times
