Physically Healthy 24-year-old granted right to die in Belgium

[Luiz 4,253]

Doctors in Belgium are granting a 24-year-old woman who is suffering from depression but is otherwise healthy the right to die as she qualifies for euthanasia under the Belgian law, even though she does not have a terminal or life-threatening illness.

The 24-year-old woman, known simply as Laura, has been given the go-ahead by health professionals in Belgium to receive a lethal injection after spending both her childhood and adult life suffering from "suicidal thoughts", she told local Belgian media.

Laura has been a patient of a psychiatric institution since the age of 21 and says she has previously tried to kill herself on several occasions. She told journalists: "Death feels to me not as a choice. If I had a choice, I would choose a bearable life, but I have done everything and that was unsuccessful." The date of Laura's death is yet to be decided.

Belgium passed a law to legalise euthanasia in 2002, the second country in the world to do so after the Netherlands. The law states that Belgian doctors can "help patients" to end their lives if they freely express a wish to die because they are suffering from intractable and unbearable pain.

Dr Marc Van Hoey, a general practitioner and president of the Right to Die Association in northern Belgium, is a vocal supporter of the legislation. Van Hoey told the Independentnewspaper that he believes that sometimes euthanasia is the kindest option. "I've seen quite a lot of persons dying in - how do you say in proper English - agony?" Van Hoey said. "I never saw that when I gave someone euthanasia he or she asked for."

Over the past few years there has been a sharp increase in the number of euthanasia cases in Belgium. In 2013, there were 1,807 deaths recorded compared with 1,432 in 2012. More than half of last year's cases were patients aged 70 and over but there are increasing numbers of young people requesting to die legally, with the majority citing depression as their "intractable and unbearable pain."

However, not everyone is in favour of the law. Carine Brochier, a project manager with the Brussels-based European Institute of Bioethics, tells Newsweek that she believes too many people are dying as a result of Belgium's liberalised euthanasia laws.

She argues that many people who experience psychological suffering and treatable mental illnesses may be wrongly given the go ahead for euthanasia because "there is absolutely no way for healthcare professionals to measure another person's mental suffering to decide if they should receive euthanasia."

"Euthanasia is not the answer to all human suffering," Brochier continues. "We need to develop better palliative care for people," something she believes Belgium is not currently doing.

Earlier this year in February, the parliament in Belgium passed a bill also allowing euthanasia for terminally ill children without any age limit, by 86 votes to 44. The vote makes it the first country in the world to have legalised euthanasia without an age limit.

In the Netherlands, the first country to legalize euthanasia, sick children are allowed to request it, but only if they are 12 years or older.

http://europe.newsweek.com/healthy-24-year-old-granted-right-die-belgium-329504

[Chromatislaps 34,854]

 such a difficult matter to discuss

[Cocaine Heart 4,768]

"Death feels to me not as a choice. If I had a choice, I would choose a bearable life, but I have done everything and that was unsuccessful."

She's done everything she can, still she can't mange with life and she finds this to be her last option, I don't blame her.

[MonsterMum 2,532]

I understand it and I am pro euthanasia. 

People never asked to be born and if they find life to difficult they should have the right to chose to quit aside from terminal illnesses.

[Didymus 34,380]

This is elegant suicide. Nothing more, nothing less.

Barely as dramatic as people make it out to be, though I agree that the threshold to choose for death should remain a final resort at all times, which is why I actually think legalization of these things could be beneficial for a lot of patients who have room to discuss their feelings while being exposed to possible other solutions before medical permission is given.

[Iwontell 7,312]

I'm not against it...of course there should be rigorous a process to evaluate if it's not a treatable case of depression or just a cry for attention, etc....but it's his life...and, in some cases, you're just refusing a dignified painless death to someone who will otherwise commit suicide...

[Sister 9,907]

I approve of this method.

[Pop 4,541]

We are all owners of our lives and our bodies. If you want to go, you want to go. 

Unless you believe in God. Well then, you're screwed lol. 

[MonsterMum 2,532]

This is elegant suicide. Nothing more, nothing less.

Barely as dramatic as people make it out to be, though I agree that the threshold to choose for death should remain a final resort at all times, which is why I actually think legalization of these things could be beneficial for a lot of patients who have room to discuss their feelings while being exposed to possible other solutions before medical permission is given.

I don't think the threshold is low or too low. Biologically our brain is set to survive at all cost. Anyone going to great lenghts to get euthanasia granted must have had this thought out well in advance and desperately wanting it. You can't just make an appointment and next day it's sorted. There is a whole process that needs to be followed. The doctor that is burdened basically with carrying it out has to hand over the case for others to review and meet with a board of medical staff members if indeed the action is in line with the law and defendable from a humane stand point. So I hope anyone that reads about euthanasia understands what kind of lengthly process it is. Carrying out euthanasia in the Netherlands and I suspect in Belgium too is highly regulated and faced with charges if it turns out that he/she was negligent at any point. Besides not many doctors want to do it cause they morally cannot carry this act out. Or as it has been stated by a few "we are trained to make our patients better, not ending their lives".

[uo111 5,283]

This really isn't okay.

Most people understand wanting to die at some point in their life, and there is a reason why we don't encourage people to actually go through with it.

Medical institutions should not encourage healthy people to commit suicide. It's not a choice, it's a non life threatening disease that we can make life threatening by giving people the choice to die. If the affliction is wanting to die, then killing them is literally saying "no point in trying to find a cure."

This isn't even about the patient because their affliction makes them want to die, although you could argue it's about their future selves because once they either get through it or find the right meds they will no longer want to kill themselves. But the loved ones are being told essentially "sorry we don't feel like trying so we're gonna kill her." Bull****.

By the way, the choice argument is akin to a d--gged girl having s-x with a guy, and saying she made the choice to have s-x with him so it's okay. Never mind that she was d--gged, unimportant. "She made the choice to die and obviously thought about it a lot, nevermind that she has a disease known as depression that makes people want to die."

[Didymus 34,380]

I don't think the threshold is low or too low. Biologically our brain is set to survive at all cost. Anyone going to great lenghts to get euthanasia granted must have had this thought out well in advance and desperately wanting it. You can't just make an appointment and next day it's sorted. There is a whole process that needs to be followed. The doctor that is burdened basically with carrying it out has to hand over the case for others to review and meet with a board of medical staff members if indeed the action is in line with the law and defendable from a humane stand point. So I hope anyone that reads about euthanasia understands what kind of lengthly process it is. Carrying out euthanasia in the Netherlands and I suspect in Belgium too is highly regulated and faced with charges if it turns out that he/she was negligent at any point. Besides not many doctors want to do it cause they morally cannot carry this act out. Or as it has been stated by a few "we are trained to make our patients better, not ending their lives".

That's all true, but people who oppose euthanasia are afraid that if we would think of future generations, the tables could possibly turn. People who are born and grow up with the idea at the back of their minds that it's possible (and by then regulations might have been smoothened) and perfectly normal, people might reach for it quicker, whether it's in the form of euthanasia or any other one.

That's of course not proven and I'm not entirely convinced by that, but we simply don't know how a future generation would think of it, so I still think it's important to keep it in mind which is why I posted it

[Computer 10,980]

That is really depressing.

So she tried to kill herself before?  Why was she not successful?  I don't think they should kill her now.  Maybe something is wrong and she could get better.  Why have they not tried more things?   

I don't like it.

[Azor Ahai 18,861]

So instead of trying to persuade her to live or find her a hobby they say "go ahead" ?

[MonsterMum 2,532]

That's all true, but people who oppose euthanasia are afraid that if we would think of future generations, the tables could possibly turn. People who are born and grow up with the idea at the back of their minds that it's possible (and by then regulations might have been smoothened) and perfectly normal, people might reach for it quicker, whether it's in the form of euthanasia or any other one.

That's of course not proven and I'm not entirely convinced by that, but we simply don't know how a future generation would think of it, so I still think it's important to keep it in mind which is why I posted it

I get what you mean but I just don't think that this is something that we can't forsee and that future generations need to figure it out for themselves. This is how many in our Dutch/Belgian society feel right now I guess.

Centuries ago the guillotine was an accepted form of punishment by the society living then, those views can change over time and every society will have to decide their norm that fits them best.

[MonsterMum 2,532]

So instead of trying to persuade her to live or find her a hobby they say "go ahead" ?

a hobby? You really think a hobby will help someone with chronic depression?

If that was the case why do we have thousands of people still suffering from this taboo illness that makes people kill themselves?