European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 11, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse Thursday february 11, 1993 world the stars and stripes Page 9 dutch mostly ignore euthanasia vote the Hague Netherlands a a parliament vote to protect doctors who end the lives of seriously ill patients Drew harsh criticism from religious groups but Little notice in a society where mercy kill ing already is common. Newspapers and television news did not mention the 91-45 vote by the lower House tuesday to approve Europe s most Liberal euthanasia guidelines. The Only Public protest came from two dozen evangelical christians who stood silently in the gallery of parliament during the vote. The legislation which goes to the upper House for expected approval stops Short Omegal izing euthanasia but Grants immunity to physicians who follow the guidelines. It leaves in place a 12-year prison term for illegally performed euthanasia. Religious groups denounced the vote As a sign that the Netherlands was losing respect for human life. Human life will not be fully protected in the Netherlands anymore said Fred Den Boef of the Christian right Wing political reformed party. Many dutch consider euthanasia humane for seriously ill patients. A govern ment commission in 1991 said As Many As 2,300 patients die by euthanasia every year and another 400 by physician assisted suicide. Marion Rookhuizen director of the dutch society for voluntary euthanasia said right to die supporters would continue to insist on the legalization of Eutha Nasia. We want to it to be in the Law itself Rookhuizen said. The guidelines give the Netherlands one of the world s most Liberal Euthana Sia policies said Petra Brockmon Lucr a spokeswoman for the euthanasia society. A japanese court in 1962 produced guidelines Simitar to Holland s when it held mercy killing acceptable for Termi Nally ill patients who were in pain. The court in Nagoya was ruling in a mercy killing by a patient s son. The dutch guidelines would allow euthanasia for a patient suffering from a perpetual unbearable and hopeless condition. A second doctor would have to concur in the diagnosis. The patient would not have to be terminally ill How Ever. A doctor could not suggest euthanasia. A patient would have to Ramie St it several times while Able to think clearly and allot her alternatives would have to be considered hopeless. After death the patient s physician would have to report to coroners Why euthanasia was chosen. If no evidence of malpractice were found the doctor would not be prosecuted. The legislation which amends a 1955 Law on the disposal of bodies i intended to standardize the euthanasia decision making process which has previously varied widely among physicians and prosecutors. Mitterrand visits site of wartime French mistake Hanoi Vietnam a f in a spirit of reconciliation wednesday president Francois Mitterrand of France visited the Dien Bien Phu Valley where a epic Battle in 1954 drove the French colonialists out of Indochina. Responding to criticism in France that he visit a site of defeat Mitterrand said he did so to rethink experience that which a Frenchman can fee when faced with the sacrifice of his after returning to Hanoi he told a news Confer ence that France s War in Indochina appeared to me to be a French colonialism had to understand the Neces sity of turning the Page. From the moment the War ended i thought that it Al merited a find it satisfying that France is the first Western country that has come Here to show its desire for reconciliation he said. Mitterrand arrived tuesday for the first visit by a Western head of state since communist forces Defeated a government and reunified the country in april 1975. The French attempt to dig in against a communist offensive at Dien Bien Phu surrounded by mountains about 200 Miles West of Hanoi became Syno Normous with disastrous military strategy. During the 1968 tet offensive against the who replaced the French the americans Wor ried that the siege against the Marine base at Khe Sanh would become another Dien Bien during the 55-Day Battle 2,242 French soldiers were killed and 6,463 wounded. About 8,000 Viet namese lost their lives. At an official dinner in Hanoi on tuesday Mitterrand sat next to Gen. To Nguyen Giap the celebrated strategist who won at Dien Bien Phu. Mitterrand said wednesday i was Able to meet with world War ii German generals. Pur Effort in Europe was aimed at reconciliation with for Mer enemies. Why not do the same elsewhere Mitterrand s entourage includes Many business leaders As Well As Cabinet members responsible for the budget research and space affairs. Later this week Mitterrand was to go to cambo Dia another former French Colony. French president Francois Mitterrand is greeted wednesday by vietnamese officials in Hanoi. Husband refuses divorce despite 30 years in prison Jerusalem a a Man imprisoned More than 30 years under israeli Law for refusing his wife divorce is standing firm despite promises of Freedom a newspaper reported tuesday. Yah Tea Avraham 80, withstood pleas from seven rabbis Tor two hours monday the mass circulation be doth Ahro Noth t do it can t do it go away the daily Edioth quoted Avraham As to jewish Law both parties must agree to a divorce. Israel leaves issues of marriage and divorce to the Rabbinate,.and the Law provides for imprison ment As a last resort method of pressure. Shula Meiri a prison service spokeswoman con firmed tuesday that Avraham remained in jail after 30 years in the divorce Case. The newspaper said Avra Ham s time spent in prison is a record for divorce recalcitrance. Meiri said that because of Avraham s age he was kept in the Hospital of Ayalon prison in Tel Aviv Ora Avraham 64, first applied for divorce after 12 years of marriage. His behaviour was abhorrent she told the newspaper. He treated me like the Abrahams were married in Yemen when she was 12 and he was 28. She told the paper they had two daughters but he berated and abused her for not Bear ing sons. Kohl backs off on minister says Bonn Germany up1 German Chancellor Hel Mut Kohl has backtracked on his plan to Cut the military budget by about 3 billion Marks $1.8 billion in the next four years defense minister Volkir Riiho says. Riiho said tuesday that Kohl had agreed to cutbacks in the defense budget that Are Well below the previously announced Levels. No new figure was Given however. In what German Media described As a fight betwee Kohl and Riiho the Chancellor on monday reprimanded his defense chief for suggesting that the spend ing and troop cuts were dictated by finance minister Theo Taigel. Speaking after a meeting of the parliamentary croup of Kohl s Christian democratic Union Rohe said that now there will not be such drastic he said Kohl stated he would give his full support tothe new savings measures. He did not indicate however whether the Chancellor might also backtrack on his controversial announcement of major troop cuts. Without naming him Kohl also rebuked nato Secretary general Manfred Wornor a former defense chief under Kohl. Wornor had said the proposed reduction of German forces could undermine the North at lactic treaty organization. Military experts said the government planned to re Duce its total forces to about 300,000 by the end of 1995, from a previously planned draw Down to 370,000.Germany forces currently total about 430,000. Highway fee plan outrages germans Bonn Germany a germans love their Auto banns those legendary thoroughfares with Long stretches where Speed is limited not by Law but by your horsepower. But if Chancellor Helmut Kohl has his Way starting next year germans and everybody else will no longer be Able to use these speedways free of charge. Kohl s government said tuesday that it wants to Start charging everyone a hefty fee to use the autobahn German newspapers on wednesday revealed details of the plan saying motorists would have to pay 360marks $225 a year 60 Marks $37.50 a month or 25 Marks $15.60 a week for stickers that would let them use the autobahn. But his plan has created an uproar. Many politicians even some of Kohl s political Al lies said germans should t have to pay for driving on the Brunnhuber a parliamentarian with Kohl s Christian democratic Union said in wednesday editions of the Bild newspaper that the plan really an Noys Brunnhuber said the Federal transportation minister Giinther Krause must urgently rethink this Kohl s government also plans to eventually sell Stockin the autobahn privatizing the state owned network of superhighways. Revenues from the Stock would be use to modernize the rail system
