The Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalize euthanasia in January 2002. But just over three years on, some people say the law still doesn't go far enough. That's because it's not strictly true that euthanasia and assisted suicide are legal.

They continue to be criminal offences, but are decriminalised in certain circumstances. A person must be terminally ill, suffering unbearably and have no hope of improvement. Their life can only be ended by a doctor, and a second doctor must agree with their decision. And even if a person meets these requirements, doctors aren't obliged to carry out their request.

Critics say these guidelines are too rigid and leave some people out in the cold. It's a complaint recognised by the politician who introduced the bill, former Health Minister Els Borst:

"People who have no defined illness but who are tired of life and suffer severely from being alive and want to die - a doctor is not allowed to help them in this country because the law says they have to be suffering from a fatal disease."

Suicide counsellors
So what choice do people have, who want help to end their lives, but fall outside of the law? Some turn to a foundation called De Einder, a Dutch advice group for people contemplating suicide. De Einder counsellor Ton Vink says they receive almost a call a day.

"I talk with people about their possible suicide to make sure this is what they want. It is possible that there are other solutions. But once they have made their decision, we discuss the means they have: whether they have the right medication, if they know how to use the medication. We also make sure they are aware of certain legal difficulties and that their friends or relatives may get in trouble. They really have to know who is allowed to do what. And on occasion we are present when people end their lives, if there are no partners or close friends who want to be with them and they don't want to be on their own."

The thin end of the law
Giving advice on suicide is legal in the Netherlands. But members of De Einder are still treading a very fine line between abiding by the law and ending up in prison, according to Former Health Minister, Els Borst:

"The law says you may not actively help people kill themselves but you may give information about how they can kill themselves. So if you stand with your hands behind your back and say you should do this or do that, then you are not punishable. But if you are present when the person takes the drug or you prepare the drug, then prison is your future."

The right to choose
De Einder wants the law to be changed. Dr Vink says people should have a legal right to choose how and when they die. And be able to get help to do so if they want:

"It is certainly not so that we are encouraging people to end their lives. But if they insist, I think they have a right to do it in a humane way and with the least amount of pain. There are a lot of suicides where people jump in front of trains or from buildings or hang themselves, which by no standards you could call humane."

Risk of abuse
De Einder is not without its critics. Some Pro Life groups say human life should be protected at all costs. They argue that instead of helping someone kill him or herself, they should be made to feel better. Other critics argue that relaxing the law could lower the value of human life and make assisted suicide or euthanasia commonplace.

De Einder says that nine out of ten people who ask for advice don't end up taking their own lives, and that changing the law wouldn't mean that more people would do so. It also points to other countries such as Switzerland where assisted suicide is a legal and institutionalised practice.

But former health Minister Els Borst does not think that people without a proper training should be advising people about suicide. She says doctors should take on more responsibility instead.

"Doctors should expand their medical domain and say: 'although these people don't have a recognisable disease, they have a terrible suffering'; and they are not just doctors for diseases but also doctors to help suffering people. And if the medical profession tells the politicians they want to take this on, you can be sure we would take all the precautions to make sure that no one dies whilst suffering an unrecognised but treatable depression etc. That would be a much better way of regulating it than this present situation where non-professional volunteers talk with people and tell them that on the internet they can get the killing drugs they need."