Date: 11-12 March 2011
Location: Ghent Marriott Hotel, Ghent, Belgium
Organizers: Ghent University and Bioethics Institute Ghent
Contact information: Kasper Raus, Kasper.Raus@UGent.be, tel.: 0032472 38 56 26
Subject: The subject of this conference will be a critical analysis of continuous sedation at the end of life from an ethical, a clinical, and a legal perspective

Continuous sedation at the end of life is a relatively new end of life practice whereby a physician uses sedatives to reduce or take away the consciousness of a patient until death follows. The practice is often accompanied with a withdrawal of all artificial hydration and nutrition. Recent data suggest that this practice occurs frequently, for example in Belgium, The Netherlands and the UK. The practice, however, raises many issues with regard to the need for regulations, the clinical implications, as well as the ethical aspects. Too frequently, however, these debates occur separately.

This conference will consist of a bringing together of known international researchers on end-of-life issues in general, and on continuous sedation in specific. The goal is to acquire profound and rich insights into a practice that is currently very unclear. The ongoing rising incidence of continuous sedation makes a reflection of this kind highly pertinent.

Speakers: -Professor BATTIN, Margaret (Department of Philosophy and Division of Medical Ethics, Utah, US)
- Professor GASTMANS, Chris (Centre for Biomedical Ethics and Law, KU Leuven)
- Professor HOLM, Søren (School of Law, University of Manchester, UK)
- Professor JONES, David (Director, Anscombe Bioethics Centre, Oxford, UK)
- Professor KUHSE, Helga (Centre for Human Bioethics, Monash University, Australia)
- Professor VAN DELDEN, Johannes (Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, Universitair Medisch Centrum Utrecht, Nederland)
- Professor MORTIER, Eric (Vakgroep Anesthesiologie, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University)
-Professor, PORTA-SALES, Josep (Institut Català d'Oncologia, Barcelona, Spanje)
-Dr. SYKES, Nigel (Medical Director, St. Christopher's Hospice, Londen, UK)
-Professor SEYMOUR, Jane (School of Nursing, Midwifery and Physiotherapy, The University of Nottingham, UK)
-Dr. RIETJENS, Judith (Societal Health Care , Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, Nederland)
-Mevrouw DELBEKE, Evelien (Civil Law, Universiteit Antwerpen)