Zoraya Ter Beek, a woman from a small village in the Netherlands near the German border has been granted her request to be euthanized. She's been suffering from chronic depression, anxiety, autism, trauma, and unspecified/borderline personality disorders right from her childhood days. Her decision to be euthanized this month has caused a stir on social media across Europe. Euthanasia is the painless killing of a person suffering with chronic pain when no other solution exists but Zoraya is physically fit.
The 29-year-old who embraces the 'reverse tree of life' tattoo on her arm once aspired to be a psychiatrist. She's trying to find a way out of her misery and find solace in death.
She received the approval for euthanasia i.e. assisted death few backs back after a long three-and-a-half-year process under the law passed by the Government of Netherlands in 2002. The Netherlands became the first country to approve assisted death namely the 'Dutch Euthanasia Act' in April 2002.
Although the number of assisted deaths due to psychiatric illness has risen in the past few years, it is still quite uncommon to do so in the Netherlands which caused controversy all over the Internet. In 2023 alone there were 9,068 euthanasia cases, a 4% increase over 2022. These cases accounted for 5.4% of the country's total deaths last year.
An article was published in April which explained Zoraya's case and that she is resorting to euthanasia which caused a public outcry as it was circulating globally. Her inbox was flooded with texts from not just Europeans but also Americans. They kept nudging her by saying it was a wrong decision, this incident left her distressed and she had to delete all her social media accounts.
Although Ter Beek understands why it can be controversial to hear such a news. She said that this is a decision has been made carefully. When doctors reported that there won't be an improvement in her mental health condition, she had to think things through. What's insulting is when people assume that you're not thinking straight because you're mentally ill. It's natural to feel uncomfortable about assisted death and being pressurized by the thought of it. But Netherlands has had this law for more than 20 years so the rules are quite stringent and completely safe.
According to the Act passed by the Dutch law, the person has to be fully informed and competent to take this decision if they are experiencing unbearable suffering and there's no chance of improvement.
When she fell in love with her partner, she thought things might change. They even got two cats. But Beek still had suicidal thoughts and would harm herself.
Euthanasia wasn't her first preference but she's tried every form of treatment over the years since she was a kid but to no avail. She even undertook intensive treatments like talking therapies, medication and more than 30 sessions of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Even though therapy helped her learn a lot about herself and how to cope up with a situation, she mentioned that it didn't fix the major issues. At the start of the treatment, you always feel hopeful that you'd get better but as the treatment goes on, you slowly start losing hope.
She finished ECT in August 2020 and after all these years, when treatments didn't help her situation, she knew she couldn't live her life like this. She had a thought of taking her own life but due to the violent suicide of her school friend and the impact on her friend's family, she didn't want her family to go through the same trauma.
She applied for assisted dying in December 2020. It was a tedious process. Only few doctors are willing to take up cases of euthanasia and then you are assessed a team, have to get a second opinion about your eligibility and then these decisions are viewed by an individual doctor.
The Dutch woman also said that she never hesitated about this decision even when the doctors kept asking her at every stage if she was sure and wanted to proceed with this decision. Her partner has been her pillar of strength during this time. She felt guilty because she would leave such precious people behind- her partner, family and friends. She's been scared as well. She thinks it's unfair that they will suffer because of her decision but she's dead set on moving ahead with this plan.
After meeting her medical team, Zoraya feels relieved as if she won her battle after a long fight.
On the appointed day, the team will come to her house and start the process by giving her a sedative. They won't give her any medicines that stop her heart until she's in a coma. For her, it'll be like falling asleep.
When you love someone, you have to let them go.
Zoraya says that she's informed her partner that it's okay if he wishes to leave the room at the moment of death. Now that the time has come, they're ready for it and she's certain this will help her find peace. Although she feels guilty she concluded by saying that when you love someone, you have to let them go.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Aditi Madathingal)
