Page 10 - aruba-today-20180421

A10 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 21 april 2018
Dutch probe 'appalling' euthanasia of dementia patient

By MARIA CHENG being asked if she wanted
In a rare series of moves, to die: "But not just now, it's
Dutch authorities are in- not so bad yet!" according
vestigating whether doc- to the report.
tors may have committed The committee wrote that
crimes in five euthanasia when the doctor surrepti-
cases, including the deaths tiously slipped a sedative
of two women with ad- into the patient's coffee,
vanced Alzheimer's dis- she took away the patient's
ease. chance to physically pro-
In one of the Alzheimer's test her death. When the
cases, which prosecutors doctor began administer-
began probing in Septem- ing barbiturates to end the
ber, a physician drugged patient's life, the woman
the patient's coffee without tried to get up and the
her knowledge and then doctor asked her family to
had the woman physically hold her down.
restrained while delivering The doctor said she was
the fatal injection. The on- fulfilling a written request
going criminal investigation the patient made for eu-
is the first since the Nether- thanasia years earlier and
lands made it legal for doc- that since the patient was
tors to kill patients at their not competent, nothing
request in 2002. the woman said during her
Dutch prosecutors an- In this April 10, 2001 file photo, thousands demonstrate outside Dutch government buildings as euthanasia procedure was
nounced they were exam- the Upper House of Parliament debates the legalization of euthanasia at The Hague, Netherlands. relevant.
ining four other cases last Associated Press "Even if the patient had
month, including the death said at that moment: 'I
of another Alzheimer's pa- significance of their earlier for people with mental ill- lawfully killed by a doctor. don't want to die,' the phy-
tient who "lacked the ca- demand to be killed, and ness. For those with late- About 6,500 cases were re- sician would have contin-
pacity to express her own as their brain changes, so stage dementia, eutha- ported last year, of which ued," the committee wrote,
will," according to a state- can their personality and nasia is still possible if the 166 involved people with citing the doctor's testimo-
ment from the prosecu- desires. person made a written de- dementia. In the vast ma- ny. Given the clear signs
tor's office. A spokesperson "If you made a living will mand specifying the con- jority of these cases, the the patient was struggling
said that specific criminal when you were competent ditions under which they patients were still in the ear- to protest her death, the
charges, if any, would be and asked for euthanasia, want to be killed and if oth- ly stages of the disease and committee said the doctor
determined only after the do we attach more weight er criteria are met, namely were competent to make should have stopped.
investigations are finished. to a decision you made if the doctor agrees the a request for euthanasia. "On the morning of the eu-
Several legal experts said when you were compe- patient is suffering unbear- The case investigators be- thanasia, when her fam-
that if doctors were found tent, or to your present ably with no prospect of gan scrutinizing in Septem- ily was present, the patient
to have killed patients with- situation where you're no improvement. ber involved a 74-year-old was even making plans to
out their explicit request, longer yourself and are no Whether Dutch authorities woman who had renewed go out to eat with them,"
they could potentially be longer asking to die?" said prosecute the doctors in her living will about a year the report said.
charged with murder. Johan Legemaate, a pro- the two Alzheimer's cas- before she died, according The examining judge will
The investigations high- fessor of health law at the es being investigated will to a detailed report issued soon hear witnesses and
light the difficulties doctors University of Amsterdam. likely set a course for how by a Dutch regional eutha- receive expert reports be-
face in handling euthana- The Netherlands is one of the increasing numbers of nasia review committee. fore deciding whether to
sia requests for those who five countries that allow people with dementia who She wrote that she wanted charge the doctor with a
later develop dementia. doctors to kill patients at seek euthanasia will be to be euthanized "when- crime in the case. The 2016
Mental decline can even- their request, and one of handled. ever I think the time is right." case has divided opinion
tually make patients un- two, along with Belgium, Since 2002, more than Later, the patient said sev- even among those who
able to understand the that grant the procedure 55,000 patients have been eral times in response to support assisted dying.q

40,000 gather in Armenia to

demand leader's resignation

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — was appointed this week operation in Europe's hu-
About 40,000 demonstra- under a new system that man rights bureau called
tors have gathered in Ar- gives the prime minister on Armenian authorities to
menia's capital as a week expanded powers and di- ensure the demonstrations
of protests against the minishes the presidency. proceed peacefully.
country's new prime minis- The crowd that amassed A spokesman for the prime
ter showed no sign of dis- at a central square on Fri- minister, Hovhannes Nik-
sipating. day blocked the defense oghosyan, says OSCE isn't
Opposition demonstrators march to protest the former presi- Protesters are calling for minister's car before police in a position "to fully and
dent's shift into the prime minister's seat in Yerevan, Armenia, the resignation of Prime forcefully cleared the way. adequately evaluate the
Friday, April 20, 2018. Minister Serzh Sargsyan, The head of the Organiza- situation" since its Yerevan
Associated Press the former president who tion for Security and Co- office closed last year.q