(CBN) – Physicians in the Netherlands are now authorized to sedate dementia patients – without prior approval – before euthanizing them if it is conceivable that they will become “agitated or aggressive” while the doctor gears up to end their life.
The policy change comes after the review committee for cases of euthanasia updated its policies for patients diagnosed with dementia or a similar health condition, The Guardian reports. The amended policies state that for dementia patients “it is not necessary for the doctor to agree with the patient the time or manner in which euthanasia will be given.”
This comes after a Netherlands Supreme Court determined that a former nursing home doctor, Marinou Arends hadn’t broken any laws after she sedated her 74-year-old patient prior to euthanizing her in 2016. The landmark case received widespread media attention because prosecutors claimed that Arends did not properly consult her patient before injecting her with a lethal dose of drugs.
The patient was given a sedative in her coffee and had to be restrained by her husband and daughter as the doctor injected her with the deadly drugs. In this case, the elderly woman had indicated that she did not wish to die until the time was appropriate. According to the Dutch Euthanasia Review Committee, which reviews every euthanasia case, the patient wrote: “I want to be able to decide (when to die) while still in my senses and when I think the time is right.” FULL REPORT
