Former Dutch Prime Minister and his wife died “hand in hand” through double euthanasia

Mr. Agutter served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1977 to 1982.

Former Dutch Prime Minister Dries van Agut and his wife Eugenie passed away through legal euthanasia “hand in hand”. Rights Forum, a human rights organization founded by Agutter, announced that the couple, both 93, died earlier this month in his hometown of Nijmegen. According to news reports, Mr. Agutter and his wife had been in declining health for some time before they chose to die. It is worth noting that Mr. Agutter served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1977 to 1982 and was the first leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal party.

“After consultation with the immediate family, we announce that our founder and honorary chairman Dries van Agt passed away on Monday 5 February in his hometown of Nijmegen.” News Notes read.

The statement added: “He died hand in hand with his beloved wife Eugenie van Agt-Krekelberg, who had been by his side for more than seventy years. And always called her ‘my girl.'” .

According to the press release, Mr. Agutter suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in 2019 and has not fully recovered. Gerad Jonkman, the nonprofit’s director, said of the euthanasia option that he and his wife were “very sick” but “couldn’t live without each other.” protector.

Their deaths are now seen as part of a trend in the Netherlands of “double euthanasia”, in which two people receive lethal injections at the same time. According to the outlet, 29 couples chose assisted suicide in 2022, up from 16 in 2021 and 13 the year before.

ALSO READ | Vladimir Putin ‘will be assassinated’ if he quits Ukraine: Elon Musk

Elke Swart, a spokesman for the Center for Euthanasia Expertise, said that about 1,000 people in the Netherlands realize their wish for euthanasia every year. A spokesman for the agency said that any request for euthanasia made by a couple will be tested individually according to strict requirements. Instead of testing together. “Interest in this is growing, but it’s still rare,” she said. protector. She added: “It was purely accidental that two people suffered excruciating pain at the same time without any hope of relief… and both wanted euthanasia.”

Notably, euthanasia has been legal in the Netherlands since 2002 and applies to six situations, including unbearable suffering, no hope of relief and a long-standing independent death wish.