Netherlands euthanizes woman with dementia despite legal requirements

An 80-year-old woman with dementia was euthanized in the Netherlands after a judge ruled in favor of her family who claimed that she had a “death wish.” The court order overruled the fact that the woman had no advance directives or last rites and the medical care officials stated that she was incapable of expressing her alleged will to die.

Life End Clinic, a medical center that was founded by euthanasia advocates, carried out the procedure which has been legal since 2002.

That said, doctors can only euthanize them if an “advance directive” or “living will” is in place.

Charisma News notes that “A survey of doctors in the Netherlands who specialize in euthanasia has revealed that more than half approve of the practice for patients with dementia…Of the 547 doctors surveyed, 52 percent could imagine themselves personally allowing the practice in cases where the dementia patient has made an advance directive but is now unable to express their will.”

“Last year a Dutch academic warned Westminster not to legalize assisted suicide because the number of euthanasia deaths in the Netherlands has soared since the legalization of the practice in 2002…Theo Boer originally supported euthanasia, but has now reviewed close to 4,000 euthanasia cases and said that it is becoming the ‘default’ mode of dying for cancer patients,” writes the site.

“Cases have been reported in which a large part of the suffering of those given euthanasia or assisted suicide consisted in being aged, lonely or bereaved,” Boer stated.

“Some of these patients could have lived for years or decades,” he added.

Full Article & Source:
Netherlands euthanizes woman with dementia despite legal requirements