A physically healthy 29-year-old woman was allowed to end her life through physician-assisted suicide in the Netherlands on the grounds of depression.
The decision has sparked renewed debate about the sanctity of life and legislation.
Zoraya ter Beek died by euthanasia on May 22. Despite being physically healthy, the woman from Oldenzaal, a town near the German border, chose to end her life due to mental health issues.
Only days before her death, ter Beek told The Guardian: “People think that when you’re mentally ill, you can’t think straight, which is insulting.”
Diagnosed with depression, anxiety, trauma, and other issues, she was approved to die by assisted suicide for “unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement,” as per the official Dutch Euthanasia Code.
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