I'm 28 and I'm scheduled to die in May
thefp.com
thefp.com
In my country, I doubt that depressed 20-somethings would get approved for euthanasia. But for aged people, especially with beginning dementia, I fear that it could become a societal expectation to choose euthanasia, and that creepy eugenicist arguments about being a "burden on society" are making a comeback through the back door.
It’s sad that the argument of “but what if”, and slippery-slope fallacies immediately shut down even the most strict, bureaucracy-filled approach which requires the person to have no significant assets for a period of time (to be certain they aren’t being forced by family), or mandatory psychologist assessments.
Please note, I said dignified. But because they weren’t able to notify or tell anyone their plans (I assume so as to not burden or implicate them), because they were unable to take the euthanasia path - we found them 3 days later. The weather was not cold.
This is the reality that families face when no choice is made possible by the state.
My exposure to these issues is rather more mixed. One of my grandmothers suffered from dementia. During the early stages, she was aware and suffered quite badly. But oddly enough, once the dementia was full blown, she lived several more years happier than she'd ever been, because the worries and restraints which had bothered her all her life were gone.
Another relative died in the earlier stages of dementia, and his last two years were fairly miserable. And now there is a relative who is also in the earlier stages, and who is determined to avail themselves of assisted suicide rather than live with dementia.
Speaking with their doctor, we learned how exactly the procedure works — in our country, it just requires a doctor's note, but the doctor will NOT issue that note if the patient already HAS full blown dementia (for obvious reasons). So you would have to request euthanasia relatively early in the process.
My relative is convinced that they are just fine, and that it's really hackers and conspiracies out to get them. Should I press the issue and insist that they are in the earlier stages of dementia and should get euthanized before it's too late for that option? I've chosen not to that — if they make that decision, I will support it, but I will not attempt to influence them one way or the other beforehand.
Dutch Euthanasia Report 2021 (English PDF): https://wfrtds.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/RTE_JV2021_ENG...
Number cases (1998-2022): https://www.statista.com/statistics/1363041/netherlands-euth...
Odd internal variations by district and other factors: https://healthcare-in-europe.com/en/news/a-critical-look-at-...
I haven't found a before|after comparison of suicide in the area, the report distinguishes between "Termination of life on request" (the bulk of cases) and "assisted suicide" - the criteria for differentiation of these likely has to do with terminal illness and quality of life.
In 2021 it was 7,459 Termination on request Vs 189 assisted suicide (as per this linked article).
I still feel the same. I won't try to stop someone other than by persuasion. I can imagine a circumstance in which I might want to help, for instance someone in unmanageable pain who wants to die but can't do it themselves. But for someone who does have the physical and mental capacity to do so, I would not. I can certainly understand how the act could be incredibly difficult, to pull the trigger or slash open a vein. But I think that is generally a feature not a bug.
If you can't bring yourself to do it, then neither can I, and maybe while you are condemned to live for a while longer you might find something to live for. It happens.
Grandma in hospice receiving only palliative care? Go for it Grandma - I'll hold your hand.
Teenager suffering from a horrible case of ennui? I'm hiding the bullets to your gun so well that Sherlock Holmes couldn't find them.