Dementia patients' right to assisted suicide

According to media reports, for the first time a woman suffering from dementia has died in the Netherlands after having recourse to assisted suicide. She had signed an advance directive before falling ill, although assisted suicide is banned in the country for people who can no longer exercise their will. This rule must be changed, writes the left-liberal daily De Volkskrant, but very carefully: "Of course one must not talk flippantly about ending the life of someone who is perfectly healthy apart from having dementia. There are certainly risks. People could be put under pressure by their children, for example. The state could even encourage assisted suicide to cut costs. For that reason medically assisted suicide must be subject to clear rules. ... Ultimately, however, a person's self-determination must count most. Dementia patients' right to life is inalienable. At the same time, every individual must have the option of sparing themselves and their families the suffering caused by such an affliction late in life."

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