The Netherlands is one of the most euthanasia-friendly countries in the world, allowing people to kill themselves for virtually any reason. That now evidently includes alcoholism. BioEdge reports on a new book written by Dutch journalist Marcel Langedijk, where he details the euthanasia of his alcoholic brother, Mark.
Mark had been drinking for eight years and had gone through 21 attempts at rehab. He had the support of his family, and he also had been married with two children. He was unable to beat his addiction and was physically and psychologically suffering. Mark requested euthanasia, and it was granted. Langedijk’s book telling his brother’s story is scheduled to be released next year.
This is not unexpected news out of the Netherlands, where there seems to be no limit to their culture of death. Earlier this year, it was announced that the Dutch government will be expanding their euthanasia program to include anyone who feels their life is “complete.” The law is expected to pass in 2017.
The Netherlands is already willing to euthanize people who experience mental illness and disabilities, including autism, people who report hearing voices or suffering delusions, and now, people who are battling addiction are eligible, too. Euthanasia requests are supposed to be reviewed by Regional Euthanasia Review Committees, but the committees almost never find fault. One in three Dutch doctors said they would be willing to euthanize the mentally ill, and there has been suspicion that people in the Netherlands are euthanized without consent. A documentary featured a man who said he was only agreeing to be euthanized because he feared he was a financial burden on his family…and he was still euthanized.
Throughout the Netherlands and Europe, assisted suicide has spiraled completely out of control. In the Netherlands, for example, a victim of sexual abuse — who also struggled with mental health disorders such as PTSD and depression and who was deemed suicidal — was allowed to be euthanized. There was a similar case in Belgium, where a woman was a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of her psychiatrist, and another psychiatrist approved her euthanasia anyway.
Also in Belgium, a transgender man was euthanized live on television because he thought he had become a “monster,” and twins were euthanized because they were going blind. The doctor who euthanized the transgender man and the blind twins organized an “inspiring” and “instructional” tour of Auschwitz, along with other euthanasia doctors. Belgium also allows children to be euthanized, with the first minor child killed this year.
In Switzerland, people have been euthanized because they “lost their looks” or were elderly. There have been frequent accusations of fraud and abuse, but the Swiss government refuses to regulate assisted suicide in the country.
Anti-euthanasia advocates have often warned that legalizing assisted suicide would victimize the most vulnerable people in society: the elderly, the poor, the mentally ill, and the disabled. This has proven, time and again, to be true throughout Europe where seemingly nothing will slow euthanasia’s ‘progress.’
