euthanasia

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Ex-Dutch PM, 93, Dies 'Hand in Hand' With Wife by Euthanasia

Dries van Agt led nation from 1977 till 1982

(Newser) - Dries van Agt, the Christian Democrat prime minister of the Netherlands from 1977 until 1982, has died by euthanasia along with his wife, according to the human rights organization he founded. They both were 93. The news was made public on Friday by the Rights Forum, which said the couple...

After Giraffe's Tumble, an 'Incredibly Difficult Decision'

Ferrell, 15, euthanized after dislocating jaw, which couldn't be repaired, per Dallas Zoo

(Newser) - A 15-year-old male giraffe was euthanized at the Dallas Zoo on Sunday after suffering an accident that hindered his ability to eat. The zoo said the giraffe, Ferrell, had an "unexpected fall in the barn" late on Friday. While examining Ferrell, veterinarians found he had dislocated his jaw "...

A Loosened Assisted Death Law Draws Critics

In Canada, those with a chronic illness who aren't terminally ill can qualify to die

(Newser) - In 2016, Canada legalized assisted death, and by the end of last year, some 31,644 Canadians had opted to die under the law. The New York Times looks at just 224 of them, who were not terminally ill but were able to secure permission to end their lives thanks...

Man Set to Stand Trial Is Euthanized Instead

Marin Eugen Sabau was left a quadriplegic after being shot by police

(Newser) - Spain permits euthanasia for adults who are experiencing "unbearable suffering" due to incurable conditions—including adults who are accused gunmen awaiting trial, apparently. The BBC reports that Marin Eugen Sabau, 46, has been euthanized in prison, where he has been since allegedly opening fire at his former employer's...

Court: Shooting Defendant Can End His Life Before Trial

Security guard shot during attack on colleagues is a paraplegic

(Newser) - A security guard charged in the shootings of colleagues and a police officer is within his rights to end his life before his trial begins, a court in Spain has ruled. Officials say Marin Eugen Sabau, 46, wounded three people at a security company in Tarragona in December, then a...

British Supreme Court: Archie Cannot Recover

Court refuses to prevent a hospital from withdrawing life support

(Newser) - Britain’s Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to prevent a hospital from withdrawing life support from a 12-year-old boy with catastrophic brain damage, rejecting a bid by his parents to extend his treatment. Per the AP , the parents of Archie Battersbee had asked the court to block a lower court’...

Colombia Woman Wins Right To Die After Historic Fight

Martha Sepúlveda, who was battling ALS, has died

(Newser) - Update: A Colombia woman who, for months, was fighting for her right to end her own life, has died by euthanasia. Per the Washington Post , 51-year-old Martha Sepúlveda, who suffered from ALS, won her high-profile battle to die “according to her idea of autonomy and dignity,” per...

Law Permitting Assisted Suicide Takes Effect

After completing a series of steps, Austrians may receive lethal drugs from a pharmacy

(Newser) - Austrians with a terminal illness or permanent, debilitating condition now may seek help in ending their life. Parliament approved legalizing assisted suicide last week after a Constitutional Court ruling that said the existing ban was a violation of the right to self-determination, Deutsche Welle reports. The Assisted Suicide Act took...

Suicide Capsule Can Be Used in Switzerland
Suicide Pod Can Be
Used in Switzerland
in case you missed it

Suicide Pod Can Be Used in Switzerland

The Sarco is cleared for use

(Newser) - An assisted suicide pod first introduced three and a half years ago has now been cleared for use in Switzerland. The Sarco, invented by Dr. Philip Nitschke of the Exit International nonprofit, has passed a legal review and can be operated in the country, SwissInfo reports. Assisted suicide was already...

Authorities Cancel Woman's Planned Euthanasia

Martha Sepúlveda was ready to say goodbye today, but health authorities reversed their decision

(Newser) - The Colombian woman who had won the right to die by euthanasia went to bed Friday night ready to face her last day on Earth. But a call from her lawyers woke her and changed everything. Martha Sepúlveda has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s...

She Doesn't Have a Terminal Illness. She'll Die on Sunday

Martha Sepulveda to die by euthanasia in Colombia, which in July loosened its right-to-die rules

(Newser) - In late 2018, Martha Sepulveda was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the progressive neurological condition also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. On Sunday, the 51-year-old Colombian mother and devout Catholic will die by legally permitted euthanasia—the first in her nation to be allowed to do so despite not...

New Zealanders Vote Yes on Euthanasia, No on Pot

Jacinda Ardern voted Yes on both questions

(Newser) - New Zealanders have voted overwhelmingly in favor of legalizing euthanasia—and narrowly against legalizing marijuana for recreational use. The euthanasia proposal, which appeared as a referendum question on ballots in the country's Oct. 17 election, passed with around 66% of the vote, the Guardian reports. The law will take...

Netherlands Plans to Allow Euthanasia for Under-12s

Government says move will help children 'suffering hopelessly and unbearably'

(Newser) - The Netherlands is set to become the second country in the world to allow euthanasia for terminally ill children under 12. After months of debate in the country's ruling coalition, Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said regulations would be changed to help "a small group of terminally ill...

Dutch Court Clears Way for Euthanasia in Dementia Cases

Patient must provide written directive while still healthy

(Newser) - The Netherlands' highest court ruled Tuesday that doctors can carry out euthanasia in patients with advanced dementia if the patient has earlier made a written directive, per the AP . The Supreme Court ruling solidifies in law a practice that already was being carried out on rare occasions in the Netherlands....

She Told Euthanasia Story, Didn't Intend to Be a Part of It

Lynsey Addario writes of photographing the journey of Paralympian Marieke Vervoort

(Newser) - When Paralympic athlete Marieke Vervoort ended her life legally through euthanasia in Belgium earlier this year, the news made international headlines . Now comes a moving account of Vervoot's story from one of the handful of people in the room during those final moments: photographer Lynsey Addario. In a New ...

Paralympic Athlete Legally Ends Her Life

100m champ Marieke Vervoort was 40

(Newser) - Paralympian athlete Marieke Vervoort made the most out of her life—and ended it at a time of her choosing. The 40-year-old died Tuesday by euthanasia, which is legal in Belgium. Vervoort, who won the 100 meters gold and 200 meters silver medals in wheelchair racing at the London Paralympics...

32nd Horse Dies at Santa Anita
Another Casualty at Santa Anita

Another Casualty at Santa Anita

3-year-old colt becomes the 32nd horse since December to die at track

(Newser) - A 3-year-old colt sustained a catastrophic injury in the eighth race at Santa Anita and was euthanized Saturday, the 32nd horse to die at the track since December. Two-time Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Mario Gutierrez was tossed off in the incident on the second day of the fall meet at Santa...

To Carry Out Euthanasia, Her Coffee Was Secretly Drugged

Doctor cleared of wrongdoing in death of 74-year-old

(Newser) - A Dutch doctor was acquitted Wednesday in a landmark trial that prosecutors and physicians hope will help clarify how the country's 2002 euthanasia law can be applied to people with severe dementia. The doctor, who wasn't named in court, was cleared of any wrongdoing in carrying out euthanasia...

She Got the Death She Wanted, With David Bowie and Pizza

Cancer patient Kerry Robertson, 61, is first Aussie to die under new assisted-suicide law

(Newser) - It took nearly a month to go through the approval process, but an Australian woman finally got her wish and ended her own life last month. The BBC reports that 61-year-old Kerry Robertson became the first Aussie to take advantage of a new law currently available only in the state...

Teen Rape Survivor Who Requested Euthanasia Ends Her Life

17-year-old Noa Pothoven suffered PTSD and depression

(Newser) - "After years of struggling and fighting, it's over." So reads a Dutch teen's "sad last post" Saturday on her Instagram account , noting she'd stopped eating and drinking and would soon be free from "[unbearable] suffering." The Washington Post reports on the right-to-die...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>