Dries van Agt, who served as prime minister of the Netherlands between 1977 and 1982, and his wife Eugenie said goodbye to their lives by euthanasia.
“MY DAUGHTER”
It was stated that the couple, both 93 years old, said goodbye to each other by holding hands. Van Agt, who was known for his liberal views despite his Catholic origin, used the expression “My girl” for his wife, whom he had been with for 70 years.
Van Agt suffered a brain hemorrhage in 2019.
Authorities stated that the most important reason why the couple chose euthanasia was that they did not want to be separated from each other by death.
THE EUTHANASIA RATE IS INCREASING RAPIDLY
The recent rapid increase in the number of couples choosing euthanasia together in the Netherlands is noteworthy. In 2022, 58 couples chose this method to die together. In the same year, the number of people who ended their lives through euthanasia in the country was recorded as 8 thousand 720.
Although euthanasia has been legal in the Netherlands since 2002, certain conditions must be met. Accordingly, there are criteria such as the person suffering unbearable pain and having no chance of recovery.
