A physically healthy 29-year-old woman was allowed to end her life by physician-assisted suicide in the Netherlands for reasons of depression, causing 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 city near the border with Germany, chose to end her life due to mental health problems.
Receive the main news from ACI Prensa by WhatsApp and Telegram
It is increasingly difficult to see Catholic news on social media. Subscribe to our free channels today:
Just a few days before his death, ter Beek Told him to The Guardian: “People think that when you’re mentally ill, you can’t think clearly, which is insulting.”
Diagnosed with depression, anxiety, trauma and other problems, she was approved to die by assisted suicide due to “unbearable suffering with no prospects for improvement,” according to the Official Dutch Euthanasia Code.
His case has revived a controversial debate in Western countries. France is currently debating the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide, and President Emmanuel Macron is pushing for new laws.
The Catholic Church has been consistently outspoken in its opposition to euthanasia.
Cardinal Willem Eijk, Archbishop of Utrecht (Netherlands), has previously commented on the implications of expanding euthanasia criteria in the Netherlands. In a 2020 interview with CNA — EWTN News’ English agency — Bishop Eijk said: “Respect for the essential value of the life of a human being is becoming increasingly eroded in the last half century, which was unavoidable.”
The Dutch cardinal, who studied medicine and has doctorates in Medical Bioethics and Philosophy, noted: “Because, once one accepts the termination of life for a certain measure of suffering, one will always be faced with the question of whether one should not also allow themselves a suffering that is only a little less.
Increase in numbers
For decades, the Bishops’ Conference of the Netherlands has emphasized the sanctity of life and the moral obligation to protect it. In a statement released in October 1999, the bishops argued that euthanasia undermines the fundamental principle that human life should be protected and valued. They stressed that there is no “right” to euthanasia and that legal exemptions for doctors who perform euthanasia contradict the principle of protection of human life.
Bishop Eijk has also spoken out on the broader social implications of euthanasia. “He pressures medical professionals to engage in euthanasia as part of their normal responsibilities and undermines trust between doctors and patients,” he said. “Furthermore, it can create a climate in which the terminally ill feel forced to choose euthanasia to avoid being a burden on their families.”
The teaching of the Catholic Church on euthanasia is clear. “(Euthanasia) is morally unacceptable. Therefore, an action or an omission that, by itself or by intention, causes death to suppress pain, constitutes a homicide seriously contrary to the dignity of the human person and respect for the living God, its Creator,” states the Catechism of the Catholic Church in its numeral 2277.
Despite this strong opposition, the Netherlands opened the door to euthanasia of children under 12 years in 2020.
In 2022, 8,720 people in the Netherlands will end their lives through euthanasia, according to DutchNewsan increase of 14% from the previous year.
In his interview with The Guardian, ter Beek summarized the tragic outlook that led to her death: “In the Netherlands,” he said, “we have had this law for more than 20 years. There are very strict rules and it is very safe.”
Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in CNA.
Anian Christoph Wimmer
Anian Christoph Wimmer, a multilingual Australian with Bavarian roots, is the editor-in-chief of CNA Deutsch. He held senior positions at Australia’s SBS and was editor-in-chief of the historic Münchner Kirchenzeitung. Graduated in Philosophy and Chinese Studies from the University of Melbourne, Anian Christoph Wimmer was on the jury for the Catholic Media Prize of the German Bishops’ Conference and was an honorary researcher in Communications at the University of Melbourne. He has served on the Board of Directors of Caritas in Munich.