The Supreme Court in the Netherlands ruled on Tuesday to allow euthanasia in patients with severe dementia if they have given their prior consent, according to a legal information website
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st April, 2020) The Supreme Court in the Netherlands ruled on Tuesday to allow euthanasia in patients with severe dementia if they have given their prior consent, according to a legal information website.
"A doctor may act on a written request for euthanasia in people with advanced dementia. In this situation, all requirements set by the law on euthanasia must be met," the summary of the judgment read.
The court was asked to clarify the law after a nursing home doctor was prosecuted in 2016 for carrying out euthanasia on a 74-year-old woman who had made a written directive before her mental ability decreased. She reportedly sent mixed signals about whether she wanted to die.
The patient was deemed to be hopelessly suffering and euthanized after an evaluation by two other doctors and with the permission of her family. The doctor who performed the procedure was acquitted last year but the public prosecutor's office asked for the law to be clarified.
