When a 28-year-old woman from the Netherlands announced her plan to pursue legally assisted death despite being physically healthy, her story immediately ignited intense public discussion.
She lives quietly near the German border with her partner and two cats, yet behind that calm image, she says years of severe depression and complex mental-health struggles have left her feeling unable to continue. Her case has prompted many to ask difficult questions about where the boundaries of compassion, medical care, and personal choice should lie — especially when the suffering is psychological rather than physical.
In the Netherlands, euthanasia and assisted dying are legal under specific conditions. Requests must be made voluntarily, patients must be experiencing unbearable suffering with no reasonable prospect of improvement, and doctors must follow strict procedures, including an independent review after the patient’s death.
