Couples who decide to end their lives with scheduled euthanasia on the same day and time represent a small percentage of the total assisted deaths in the Netherlands, but their number increases and there are dozens of them every year, including that of former Dutch Prime Minister Dries van Agt and his wife, both 93 years old.
Van Agt had been with his wife Eugenie for 70 yearswhom he met during his student days in Nijmegen, in the east of the Netherlands, and from then on they were inseparable: she accompanied and advised him during his time as Minister of Justice (1971-1977), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1982) and as prime minister of three cabinets between 1977 and 1982.
He was also at his side when he founded in 2009 The Rights Foruma knowledge center on Israel and Palestine, where he sought to realize his quest for a peaceful solution to the conflict, something to which he has devoted his energies since visiting the West Bank in 1999. Together they have traveled the world for work and they were inseparable for decades, which is why it was also clear that they didn’t want to live without each other.
On February 5, both 93 years old, with a deteriorated state of healthand surrounded by their loved ones, They died “hand in hand” after undergoing euthanasia together, something increasingly common in the Netherlands, according to Fransien van ter Beek, president of the Dutch Association for Voluntary End of Life (NVVE).
Protesters from the pro-life group Derecho a Vivir outside the Spanish parliament in Madrid, Spain, Tuesday, February 11, 2020. The new Spanish parliament is expected to accept in its first legislative session, with a majority vote, debate on a law decriminalizing and regulates euthanasia. (AP Photo/Paul White)In 2022, the last year for which official data are available, In the Netherlands, almost 9,000 euthanasias were carried out, including those of 29 couples who underwent an assisted dying process, or 58 people in total. In 2021 there were 16 couples, and in 2020 another 13. The percentage is small, but increasing, according to data from the Regional Euthanasia Review Committees (RTE).
“It’s not an easy road”
“It doesn’t happen very often, because It’s not an easy road“Van ter Beek told the NOS network.
Doctors They study a couple’s application as two individual processes and are subject to the conditions of any other case.
Euthanasia It is legal in the Netherlands since 2002, but it is licensed under very strict conditions and can only be carried out under medical supervision, so any other form of assisted suicide is considered illegal.
Euthanasia has been legal in the Netherlands since 2002. Photo: AFPThe requirements require that the decision be “voluntary and well thought out”, in the face of “unbearable and desperate suffering”, and that “there are no reasonable alternatives”. Furthermore, the doctor must “report on the situation and outlook”, and ask for a second opinion from “an independent doctor”, so that the process “is medically accurate”, with the right medications and the right steps.
Two different doctors perform a separate evaluation, after which another independent doctor reviews it, and all doctors must be sure that all points are met before authorizing euthanasia. In the case of couples, that must also be checked there is no “undue pressure” from either party.
Van Agt suffered a brain hemorrhage in 2019 and his health has deteriorated since then. “It was then that he said that euthanasia was an option if life and suffering became unbearable (…). His health became increasingly fragile and he wanted to concentrate his attention on his wife, his children and his grandchildren “, added Gerard Jonkman, director. of The Rights Forum, who confirmed that Eugenie’s health has also deteriorated rapidly in recent years.
The former prime minister entered politics in the late 1960s and until 2021 was a member of the Christian Democrats CDA. conservative of Catholic beliefs, but his vision has become more progressive over the years, so much so that he surprised him by dying after euthanasia and with the love of his life. “They couldn’t live without each other,” Jonkman said.
“We know from experience that people think it’s a nice idea. Especially after a lifetime in which people have merged with each other. This way you no longer have to experience the death of the other person and you save yourself the pain,” concludes Van ter Beek. However, It is the children and grandchildren who suffer a double loss when their parents or grandparents die together.
At the moment, “duo-euthanasias” remain an exception and represent less than 1% of total cases in the Netherlands.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.