A Dutch woman has decided to legally end her life citing her struggles with crippling depression and autism, according to a report. Zoraya ter Beek, a 28-year-old physically healthy, who lives in a small village in the Netherlands near the German border, is slated to be euthanised in May, according to the New York Post (NYP).
Euthanisation refers to the act of intentionally ending the life of a person or animal to relieve suffering, typically in the context of terminal illness or severe injury. It is often performed by administering drugs or other means to induce a painless death. Ter Beek, who does not have much family, has grappled with mental health challenges throughout her lifetime. She has decided to end her life, despite being in love with her 40-year-old boyfriend and living with two cats.
The Dutch woman said she decided to be euthanised after her doctors told her nothing more could be done to improve her condition. “I was always very clear that if it doesn’t get better, I can’t do this anymore,” NYP quoted ter Beek as saying. Ter Beek, who earlier aimed to become a psychiatrist, is just one of the growing number of people in the West who have decided to die rather than continue living in pain.
Contentious Issue
Several countries have legalised euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide in some form, but the issue remains contentious and is debated by both legal and philosophical luminaries. Some of these nations include the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada, Colombia, Switzerland, Germany, and parts of the US. Notably, the Netherlands was the first country to legalise assisted suicide in 2001. Fast forward to 2022, Dutch media reported 8,720 euthanasia deaths, around 5 percent of all deaths, up from 4 percent the previous year. In February, former Dutch Prime Minister Dries van Agt and his wife died together by euthanasia.
Ter Beek plans to be cremated after she’s euthanised on the couch in her living room. Reports said a doctor will first give her a sedative, followed by a drug that will stop her heart. Ter Beek’s boyfriend will be at her side until the end but there will not be a funeral. “The doctor really takes her time. It is not that they walk in and say, ‘Lay down, please!’ Most of the time it is first a cup of coffee to settle the nerves and create a soft atmosphere,” she said.
“Then she asks if I am ready. I will take my place on the couch. She will once again ask if I am sure, and she will start up the procedure and wish me a good journey. Or, in my case, a nice nap, because I hate it if people say, ‘Safe journey.’ I’m not going anywhere.” Ter Beek said her boyfriend will scatter her ashes in “a nice spot in the woods” that they have picked out. “I’m a little afraid of dying, because it’s the ultimate unknown,” she said. “We don’t really know what’s next, or is there nothing? That’s the scary part.” Critics say that people like Ter Beek have been encouraged to kill themselves by the law, with many likening the suicide surge to a contagion, according to the Free Press.
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