Warning: This article contains discussion of assisted dying that some readers may find distressing
A 29-year-old woman from the Netherlands has died by euthanasia shortly after her birthday.
In the weeks leading up to her death, Zoraya ter Beek had been open and honest about her reasons for seeking assistance in dying, having been granted the right to euthanasia on the grounds of mental suffering.
Before her death, she said she felt ‘relief’ at being granted the right to die, and that she’d been told the moment of her passing would be ‘like falling asleep’.
People in the Netherlands can be granted the right to die if they are experiencing ‘unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement’, and can demonstrate that they are fully mentally capable and informed of the decision they are making.
29-year-old Zoraya ter Beek has died by euthanasia. (RTL Nieuws/YouTube/Fress Press)
Zoraya had told The Guardian that she suffered from chronic depression, anxiety, trauma and unspecified personality disorder, explaining that she ‘continued to self-harm and feel suicidal’.
She had previously tried various therapies, medications and over 30 sessions of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), but they didn’t ‘fix the main issues’.
Now, a blog post from a friend of ter Beek confirmed that she had died on 22 May at 1:25pm local time.
It read that she ‘worked tirelessly to ensure a correct image of euthanasia in cases of psychological suffering’.
Her social media accounts were also updated to confirm that Zoraya had died.
Before going through with euthanasia, Zoraya had said that she would be given a sedative and then administered with drugs that would stop her heart.
She also said that her partner would be there with her, but that she’d said it would be alright if he needed to leave the room.
Zoraya had previously spoken of losing hope the longer her treatments went on without success, until after 10 years she had exhausted all possible treatments and ‘accepted’ that there was no more which could be done, leading her to apply for assisted dying.
In the time before her death she had been speaking about the extensive safeguards put in place around assisted dying. (RTL Nieuws/YouTube/Fress Press)
“People think that when you’re mentally ill, you can’t think straight, which is insulting,” she had also told The Guardian of the process involved with requesting the right to euthanasia.
“I understand the fears that some disabled people have about assisted dying, and worries about people being under pressure to die. But in the Netherlands, we’ve had this law for more than 20 years.
“There are really strict rules, and it’s really safe. It’s a long and complicated process.
“It’s not like you ask for assisted dying on a Monday and you’re dead by Friday. I was on a waiting list for assessment for a long time, because there are so few doctors willing to be involved in assisted dying for people with mental suffering.
“Then you have to be assessed by a team, have a second opinion about your eligibility, and their decision has to be reviewed by another independent doctor.”
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.
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Topics: Health, Mental Health, World News