The former Dutch prime minister Dries van Agt, Eugenie van Agt-Krekelberg, and her husband recently on last Monday, died by euthanasia as a result of failing health at 93. Their choice to have euthanasia performed jointly has aroused public interest because cases like this, particularly involving couples, are uncommon. Since 2002, the act as been allowed in the Netherlands under strict guidelines, which include having a terminal illness that is unbearable with no chance of recovery and a long-standing desire to die.
Dutch Euthanasia Law
The Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide Act specifies the conditions under which both euthanasia and assisted suicide are permitted by Dutch law. This involves a doctor’s involvement who either supplies the lethal dose or gives the order, as well as the patient’s very sincere and absolute conviction in their request for administering by self. Nonetheless, neither the right nor the obligation of physicians to carry out the act are not final. They can back out at the very last minute.
Even in cases of couples, each request for the act is evaluated separately based on these standards. Although there is growing interest in pair euthanasia, it is still uncommon since it happens by accident when two people seek to end their unbearable suffering at the same time.
Types of Euthanasia: Active vs Passive
On the other hand, passive euthanasia—which involves turning off life support—is different from regular version of the act and is permitted in the Netherlands. Palliative sedation, on the other hand, is not seen as euthanasia; rather, it is the use of painkillers to make patients comatose until they pass away naturally.
Couples trying to control their own deaths have become more common in the Netherlands; 58 such cases were reported in 2022. Nevertheless, information for 2023 is yet to be released. This pattern shows us how the act is becoming a more popular end-of-life choice in the nation.
In contrast, active euthanasia is still prohibited in India; nevertheless, the notion of a “living will” was recognised by the Supreme Court’s decision in March 2018. This document gives mentally sound adults the freedom to decline medical care or decide not to employ artificial life extension. Nonetheless, India currently lacks a proper statute addressing the practice of the passive type of the act.
Overall, the Dries van Agt and his wife’s case sheds light on the moral conundrums surrounding euthanasia, especially when it comes to couples, and the disparities in national legal systems and perspectives on end-of-life decisions.
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