A landmark euthanasia trial has opened in the Netherlands seeking to pinpoint what to do with dementia patients who have previously stated their wish to die under certain circumstances but later might have second thoughts.
The court case centers on a 74-year-old woman who was euthanized three years ago despite some indications she might have changed her mind. The nursing home doctor in the case is accused of breaching the Dutch euthanasia law.
While there is no doubt the doctor acted with good intentions, Sanne van der Harg of the public prosecutor’s office said the key question is “to what extent do you, as a doctor, still have to enter into discussion with a patient suffering from dementia where the patient already has made a euthanasia statement.”
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