A young British man is making headlines for his decision to travel to the Netherlands to undergo euthanasia. He does not have a terminal illness, but has been diagnosed with “treatment-resistant bipolar disorder.”
Joseph Awuah-Darko, 28, went public with his story on Instagram, which led to featured articles in The Times and elsewhere. He is embarking on what he’s calling his “Last Supper Project,” documenting his journey of sharing meals with others while he awaits euthanasia approval from the Netherlands.
“I am not saying that life (as a phenomenon) isn’t worth living. It absolutely is. What I am saying is that the mental weight of mine has become entirely unbearable,” Darko wrote in an Instagram post.
“I am bipolar and I moved to the Netherlands to legally end my life,” he said.
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READ: Euthanasia rates in Netherlands rise, with 60% increase in deaths for mental illness
Darko’s story is a cry for help, as he goes on to note that it isn’t his mental illness, but instead depression and burnout which he finds overwhelming.
“I am not special, like many people in their 20s; the constant burnout, the burden of debt, paralysing depression, violent media cycle and the dystopian reality of AI …all weigh heavy. The reality I face of being bipolar exacerbates all this,” Darko wrote.
“Now more than ever, the possibility of being humanely put to rest with dignity matters,” he added. “I’m ready to go home.”
In his interview with The Times, Darko reiterated his desire to die with “dignity.”
“There is a dignity attached to doing it this way, with as much closure, patience and understanding in knowing that you will not have to be discovered lifeless by somebody else, not a train conductor, not your sibling, not your friends,” he said. “You will have a non-violent end to your life with medical assistance, with support, with closure for those who love you.”
Unfortunately, he appears to have bought the lie that euthanasia deaths are calm, peaceful, and dignified. In reality, the drugs used to kill the patient are often the same as those used for lethal injections — except in euthanasia cases, a paralytic is involved rendering the patient unable to respond as they drown in their own bodily secretions. One study revealed that some people take days to die.
Darko’s story comes as the Netherlands released its 2024 euthanasia report, which shows an alarming 60% rise in deaths for psychiatric reasons. Of those, 30 people were killed under the age of 30.
