Catholic nursing home fined for refusing euthanasia

A Catholic nursing home in Belgium has been fined for refusing to euthanise a resident in its care. The Huize Sint-Augustinus home was fined a nominal €6 by the court in Louvain after the family of an elderly woman took a case against the home’s opposition to their request for euthanasia under Belgian law. While doctors in the country have the right to object to assisting patients to die, the court ruled that “the nursing home did not have the right to refuse euthanasia on the grounds of conscientious objection”. Despite the low level of fine imposed, the case has serious implications for religious-backed institutions across the country.