In 2002 the Netherlands adopted the Euthanasia Act, thereby legalising a 20-year-old convention of not prosecuting doctors who practise assisted suicide under certain criteria. The law applies to physically as well as mentally ill patients, on the condition that their suffering is “hopeless and unbearable” and no reasonable alternative exists.

But while euthanasia has become accepted for physically ill patients, it is still very much a taboo for psychiatric patients. Of the 2,331 cases reviewed by euthanasia review committees 2008 only two involved psychiatric patients.

“The suffering of psychiatric patients can be just as intolerable as many forms of physical suffering,” Eugène Sutorius, a professor of criminal law and a former president of the Right to Die-NL foundation, told a symposium this week. “But psychiatrists just don’t want to do it. They’re afraid of the paperwork, they’re afraid of being prosecuted and they’re afraid of death.”

What do you think? Should psychiatrists be more reticent than regular doctors in granting patients’ requests for assisted suicide? Or is it cruel to deny them that right, knowing they might try to kill themselves anyway?

Next week the decision about who will be the first permanent president of the European Union will be made. Now that all 27 member states have ratified the Lisbon Treaty, it is time to scramble for the political top positions.

EU leaders will meet in Brussels on November 19 to appoint the president of the European Council and the High Representative for foreign affairs. The socialist group in European parliament has claimed the ‘foreign minister’ position, which makes it more than likely the job of president will be filled by someone from the Christian democrat political family.

Dutch prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende is a popular contestant, but his Belgian counterpart Herman Van Rompuy seems the man to beat. However, Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg is not out of the race yet, and neither is former Austrian chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel.

As there is no public election for the new positions, we would like to ask you here how you feel about the picking of the EU president? Do you have a favourite candidate and can you tell us why?