12 Aug 2018

Insight: Euthanasia - Aurelia's Story

From Insight, 8:10 am on 12 August 2018
Henry accessed Evolve Youth Service in the past.

Stock Image Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King

In January, Aurelia Brouwers, a-29-year-old Dutch woman with a history of severe mental illness - lay down on her bed to die. She had been declared eligible for euthanasia a month earlier - Dutch law permits the ending of a life where there is 'unbearable suffering' without hope of relief. Aurelia's death provoked an outpouring on social media and widespread discussion within the Netherlands. In this BBC World Service Assignment programme, Linda Pressly asks what if a death wish is part of someone's illness? And does someone with serious mental health challenges have the capacity to make a decision about their own demise? These are questions now being debated in the Netherlands as a result of Aurelia's death.

This programme features recordings of Aurelia made by the Dutch service, RTL Nieuws, in the two weeks before she died and explores the complex terrain of euthanasia for people with psychiatric problems in Holland and a warning that given the nature of this programme, some people could find it upsetting.

BBC World Service Assignment - Euthanasia: Aurelia's Story

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