“Hand in hand”: Former Dutch prime minister and his wife euthanized at the same time at the age of 93

“They die at once, hand in hand.” The former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Dries van Aegt, chose to commit suicide with his wife on Monday, February 5. Both were 93 years old. They resorted to euthanasia, which was legalized in the country in 2002. The information was provided by the Rights Forum, a research center that protects the rights of Palestinians, which was founded by the former prime minister.

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He and his wife had been married for over 70 years. In the official press release, we learn that “Dries van Agt died in Nijmegen, his hometown, with his beloved wife.” They resorted to “euthanasia”, a rare but growing procedure in the Netherlands. In 2020, 26 couples were identified who wanted to move in together. In 2022, they more than doubled.

In 2022, 8,700 people will be euthanized in the Netherlands

The Expertisecentrum Euthanasia Association, which performs several hundred euthanasias each year, explained to the English newspaper The Guardian That she was getting more and more requests from couples. The association requires strict criteria for responding to these requests, specifically that the patient must make the request themselves and demonstrate “unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement.” In the case of Dries Van Agt, he had been suffering from a brain hemorrhage since 2019. He was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1977 to 1982. According to official figures, 8,700 people resorted to euthanasia in the country in 2022.

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In France, the subject is regularly at the center of public debate and a bill on euthanasia should reach parliament at the beginning of the year, with many personalities calling for its legalization.