Euthanasia debate reignited by 20yo sexual abuse victim
Euthanasia debate reignited by 20yo sexual abuse victim
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11639637
A sexual abuse victim in her 20s was allowed to go ahead with assisted suicide as she was suffering from “incurable” post-traumatic-stress disorder (PTSD), according to the Dutch Euthanasia Commission.
The law in the Netherlands states that doctors may perform euthanasia on anyone with “unbearable suffering”.
The girl had been abused between the age of five and 15. As a result of her abuse, she suffered severe anorexia, chronic depression, and hallucinations.
Doctors said her conditions were “incurable” despite some small improvements in her mental state after intensive therapy. Two years ago, they agreed to her wish to end her life.
The doctors judged her to be “totally competent” and that there was “no major depression or other mood disorder which affected her thinking”.
News of her death has triggered debate around the world about the ethics of assisted dying.