Dutch Dementia Patients Can Be legally euthanized.
Home > Euthanasia Issues Letters & Reports Senior's Rights > Dutch Dementia Patients Can Be legally euthanized.LANDMARK DECISION IN DUTCH EUTHANASIA LEGISLATION
In April, 2020, the Dutch Supreme Court ruled that doctors could legally carry
out euthanasia on people with advanced dementia who had earlier put their wishes
in writing even if they could no longer confirm them because of their illness.
The ruling is a landmark in Dutch euthanasia legislation which up to now had
required patients to confirm euthanasia requests. This had not been considered
possible for mentally incapacitated patients like advanced dementia sufferers.
DUTCH DOCTORS CAN LEGALLY EUTHANISE PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED DEMENTIA.
“A doctor can carry out an (earlier) written request for euthanasia from people
with advanced dementia,” the Supreme Court said in a summary of its decision.
What the Reuters story failed to mention — and apparently the Supreme Court
found to be irrelevant — is that the case in question involved a woman who
fought against being killed. Nor does the story mention that the doctor had
drugged the woman before starting to euthanize her, and that the doctor
instructed the family to hold the struggling woman down so that she could
administer the lethal injection.
PATIENT’S WRITTEN WISHES DISREGARDED BY DOCTOR /FAMILY.
Moreover, the patient had also stated in her instructions that she wanted
to decide “when” the time for death had come — which she never did. The
termination “choice” was made by the doctor and/or family in violation of
the patient’s advance directive.
13/11/20
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