Duo Euthanasia renewed its focus after ex-Dutch Prime Minister Dries van Agt died by legal euthanasia, "hand in hand" with his wife Eugenie. The couple, who were both 93, died earlier this month, on February 5, in his hometown, Nijmegen. This is announced by the Rights Forum, a human rights organization founded by Mr. Agt.
As per the press note, both Mr. Agt and his wife had been suffering from worsened health for some time before they chose death.
Particularly, Mr. Agt was the prime minister of the Netherlands in the period between 1977 and 1982. He was the first leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal party. Mr. Agt may have been Catholic, but he always chose his path with his wife of 70 years. He always called his wife Eugenie ‘my girl’.
Accordingly, in 2019, Mr. Agt suffered a brain hemorrhage and never fully recovered. He and his wife were very ill but couldn't live without each other, the nonprofit's director, Gerad Jonkman, said about the choice of euthanasia, as per the report in The Guardian.
A press note includes that he died together and hand in hand with his beloved wife Eugenie van Agt-Krekelberg, the support and support with whom he was together for more than seventy years and whom he always continued to refer to as 'my girl'.
A couple’s death is now being seen as part of a growing trend in the Netherlands for "duo euthanasia," or two people receiving a fatal injection simultaneously. However, 29 couples opted for assisted suicide in 2022, which is up from 16 who chose it in 2021 and 13 pairs the year before.
As per The Guardian, spokesperson for the Expertisecentrum Euthanasie, Elke Swart, said that, which grants the euthanasia wish of about 1,000 people a year in the Netherlands, any couple's requests for assisted death were tested against strict requirements individually rather than together. Interest in this is growing, but it is still rare. She added that it is a pure chance that two people are suffering unbearably with no prospect of relief at the same time, and that they both wish for euthanasia.
Since 2002, euthanasia has been legal in the Netherlands, giving an individual the right to choose death. Euthanasia has been legal under six conditions, which include unbearable suffering, no prospect of relief, and a long-held, independent wish for death. In 2020, a total of 8720 people died of euthanasia in the Netherlands, and at least 29 couples died together in 2022; in 2020, 13 cc opted for it. The Netherlands has been allowing assisted suicide and euthanasia. The request is granted after individuals request the termination of their lives with a sign-off from a doctor that they are going through unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement.
In the United States and Australia, many Asian countries, including Japan and South Korea, uphold strict laws against euthanasia. In these regions, ethical, moral, and religious considerations heavily influence the legal frameworks surrounding end-of-life decisions. Despite ongoing debates and advocacy for euthanasia legalization, legal barriers persist, limiting individuals' autonomy over their own deaths and often leading to prolonged suffering for terminally ill patients and their families.
While in India, passive euthanasia was made legal in 2018. Passive euthanasia is when the medical treatment is withheld to allow the person to die, which is different from active euthanasia. Active euthanasia includes the administration of a lethal injection to end a person's life.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Komal Bhoi/MSM)