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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
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