STORY HIGHLIGHTS
A Dutch woman chose euthanasia to end her mental health issues. The treatment is scheduled to take place at her home.
Zoraya ter Beek, a 28-year-old Dutch lady, is scheduled to be euthanized in May owing to significant mental health issues, according to The Free Press. Ter Beek has battled depression, autism, and borderline personality disorder her entire life. Despite having a caring boyfriend and dogs, she believes her mental disorder is incurable.
Doctors have informed Ter Beek that she has no further therapeutic choices. This parallels an increasing trend in the Netherlands, where euthanasia is allowed, with more people choosing to terminate their suffering from mental health concerns rather than endure it.
Ter Beek’s condition has provoked some controversy. Some see it as evidence of a troubling trend among healthcare practitioners to readily resort to euthanasia for mental health issues. Some feel that it gives terminally ill patients more control over their dying days.
According to the Free Press, a rising number of people are choosing to terminate their lives due to a variety of mental health conditions, including despair and anxiety, which are compounded by causes such as economic insecurity, climate change, social media, and other worries.
“I’m seeing euthanasia as some sort of acceptable option brought to the table by physicians, psychiatrists, when previously it was the ultimate last resort,” Stef Groenewoud, a healthcare ethicist at Theological University Kampen in the Netherlands, told the publication.
“I see the phenomenon, especially in people with psychiatric diseases and especially in young people with psychiatric disorders, where the healthcare professional seems to give up on them more easily than before,” she said.
Procedure details for Zoraya ter Beek’s euthanasia
Zoraya ter Beek’s euthanasia will take place at home. Her doctor will first provide a sedative, followed by drugs to stop her heartbeat. Her partner will support her throughout the process. Ter Beek will be cremated after death and her ashes strewn in a selected woodland spot.
The Netherlands legalized euthanasia in 2001, which resulted in a gradual increase in euthanasia fatalities. By 2022, it accounted for 5% of all deaths in the country.