A young woman with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) in the Netherlands shared an emotional post announcing that she would be euthanized on Saturday, January 27th.
Lauren Hoeve, 28, began documenting her application for euthanasia in 2022 on her blog. He was diagnosed with ME in 2019 and also has autism, anxiety and ADHD. ME is often referred to as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but Hoeve prefers not to use that term because he believes it does not capture the severity of his fatigue.
Assisted death has been legal in the Netherlands since 2002. According to the campaign group Dignity of Death, there are on average around 3,500 cases of assisted dying or voluntary euthanasia a year in the country.
In Hoeve’s blog, she explains that when she first told her GP that she wanted to be euthanized voluntarily, the doctor told her that he respected her wishes but could not do it on her own as her condition was complicated by her psychological conditions.
He was put on a waiting list to be seen by euthanasia specialists, but due to the pandemic, the wait was longer than usual. Since then, Hoeve has met with several doctors who evaluated him and found him to be ‘mentally competent’, signing the euthanasia request in April 2023.
Hoeve has been posting about her health on
Hoeve announced on his blog Wednesday that his euthanasia would take place on Saturday between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m., thanking people for their support. He wrote: “It doesn’t matter if we know each other long and well, or if we know each other very little. Thanks to all of you, I feel less alone and I’m so grateful for that.
He added: “Please don’t wish me a bon voyage, I wish I could go on a trip (a beach holiday would be nice)…”
He invited his loved ones to watch his farewell livestream and asked those who wanted to pay tribute online to wait until he passed away.
Hoeve’s mother, who also lost her son, also wrote a blog post about the planned euthanasia: “What is it like for me as a mother to lose my second child? This is so sad and surreal. My mother’s heart is bleeding… Please know that she is trying to find a way out.” “We did everything realistically possible. He still wanted to get a lot out of life, but he didn’t want to live to be 30, let alone 60. He’s 80.”
She added: “The one bright spot I see is that I don’t have to be afraid of losing my children anymore. I know where they are.”
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Euthanasia in the Netherlands
Anyone can apply for euthanasia in the Netherlands, but there are several rounds of assessment that need to be done, especially if there are extenuating circumstances beyond the person’s physical health.
In the Netherlands, 8,720 cases of euthanasia were reported in 2022; This is the highest number to date. While the majority of cases consisted of people with cancer, there was also an increase in cases mentioning dementia.
Five people under the age of 30 were also euthanized, sparking criticism from some doctors. Dutch professor Irene Tuffrey-Wijne told the AP: “I have no doubt that these people are suffering, but is it really right for society to send them the message that there is no other way to help them and that it is better to die?”
Last year, the Dutch government lowered the age of assisted death to children under one year old. However, there are strict criteria that a child must meet to qualify; Predominantly, the patient must be terminally ill for whom palliative care cannot provide any solution.
This comes after the highly publicized case of four-year-old Luuk, who died two years after being diagnosed with Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, a degenerative condition affecting the central nervous system.
Assisted death in England
It is illegal in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. There is no specific crime in Scotland. In 2015, a bill to legalize assisted dying in the United Kingdom was rejected.
However, it remains a matter of debate. More recently this has been led by presenter Dame Esther Rantzen, who last month revealed she was considering the option of assisted dying if treatment for lung cancer did not improve her condition.
The 83-year-old founder and publisher of Childline has joined Swiss assisted dying clinic Dignitas. His family could be sued if they travel with him.
In an interview on the BBC’s The Today Podcast in December, he called for a free vote in Parliament on assisted dying because he thought it was “important that the law meets what the country wants”.
Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer backed calls to change the law last month, saying: “I personally think there are grounds to change it.” The Health and Social Care Committee, which launched an inquiry in December 2022 to examine different perspectives in the debate, will publish its report on assisted dying and assisted suicide in England and Wales.
If you are affected by the issues raised in this article, you can contact us. Samaritans For confidential emotional support, you can reach us at any time by calling 116 123 or emailing jo@samaritans.org.