NEWS AND OPINION/DISCUSSION – THE NETHERLANDS: With the assistance of a doctor and in the company of her boyfriend, Zoraya ter Beek, 28, will euthanize herself in May (believed to be ‘assisted suicide’) because her depression and autism have not improved. She said to herself that if it did not improve, she’d end her life and she is following through on that promise to herself. But she is physically well. This is about her mental illness and suffering.
She has two cats. She is young. It is a remarkable story really. And she is remarkably brave too. Determined. Single-minded. I admire her but I do wonder, as I am sure others have, if she is doing the right thing.
Her psychiatrist has told her that she will not get better – “there’s nothing more we can do for you. It’s never going to get any better.”
Those words appear to have been the trigger for her to take the ultimate step to end her mental suffering. She said that the doctor will take their time during the euthanasia process.
She does not have many family members. Her boyfriend will scatter her ashes in a nearby wood. She said that she is afraid of dying, “because it is the ultimate unknown. We don’t really know what’s next or is there nothing. That’s the scary part.”
The Netherlands allows human euthanasia. It was the first country to legalise assisted dying in 2001.
Two aspects to the story caught my eye. Firstly, her age as mentioned. She has most of her life ahead of her. Might it be wise to wait a little longer as medicine is advancing?
Secondly, her cats. They’ll miss her. They may even grieve for her after she has gone over the rainbow bridge. But there is a question mark over whether cats grieve. They have her 40-year-old boyfriend to help the continuation of their human relationship.
Perhaps I am being sexist but I’ll say it: she is good looking as well. I shake my head at the thought and the sadness.
We don’t have much more information. Good luck.
RELATED: After our Cats Cross the Feline Rainbow Bridge: One Day we will be reunited
Assisted suicide in The Netherlands
In the Netherlands, euthanasia and assisted suicide are legal under specific circumstances. Let me provide you with the relevant details:
- Euthanasia:
- Euthanasia is performed by the attending physician administering a fatal dose of a suitable drug to the patient on their express request.
- The relevant Dutch legislation also covers physician-assisted suicide, where the physician supplies the drug, but the patient administers it.
- Palliative sedation (rendering the patient unconscious with pain-reducing drugs until they eventually die from natural causes) is not considered a form of euthanasia.
- Legal Criteria: Euthanasia and assisted suicide are legal only if the criteria laid down in the Dutch Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide (Review Procedures) Act are fully observed. Only then is the physician concerned immune from criminal prosecution.
- Requests for euthanasia often come from patients experiencing unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement. Their request must be made earnestly and with full conviction.
- Patients do not have an absolute right to euthanasia, and doctors do not have an absolute duty to perform it.
- Guidelines for Semi-Conscious Patients: If a patient lapses into semi-consciousness just before scheduled euthanasia and there are still signs of suffering, the doctor may perform euthanasia despite the patient’s lowered consciousness. These guidelines provide guidance for physicians in this difficult situation.
- Advance Directives: Some people express their wishes regarding euthanasia through written advance directives, specifying the circumstances in which they would want euthanasia to be performed.
- Assisted Suicide:
- Assisted suicide can take two forms:
- Euthanasia: The physician administers a fatal dose of a suitable drug to the patient.
- Assisted suicide: The physician supplies the lethal drug, but the patient administers it.
- Both forms are covered by the Act, and in both cases, doctors must fulfill the statutory due care criteria.
- Every instance of euthanasia and assisted suicide must be reported to one of the five regional euthanasia review committees.
- Assisted suicide can take two forms:
It’s important to note that the Netherlands has strict guidelines and procedures in place to ensure that these end-of-life decisions are made carefully and ethically.
