Comment by bramhaag
3 days ago
I think it's beautiful he got to go out on his own terms, when he felt it was the right time to do so.
I'm often reminded about a case in my own country: a young person had decided it was time to end her life after struggling for many years, without a sign of improvement. She was denied the right to euthanasia. After multiple failed suicide attempts, she went for the nuclear option and jumped in front of a train.
Everyone deserves to die in a dignified and humane way, not in multiple pieces or with a mind deteriorated beyond recognition. Forcing prolonged suffering is unnecessarily cruel. I wish more countries were as progressive with euthenasia as Switzerland.
Coincidentally, today there was an article in a Belgian newspaper about a 25-year-old woman who will undergo euthanasia in a few weeks due to severe psychological suffering with no prospect of improvement. After years of suffering and 40 failed suicide attempts, I indeed think it's much more dignified to have euthanasia as an option.
Euthanasia has some strict rules in Belgium, especially for cases involving psychological suffering. In 2014, the age restriction was dropped (except for psychological suffering). Since then, 6 minors have received euthanasia.